Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, instability regarding wheat has been felt in international markets. Faced with this situation, the Algerian government reacted with a series of measures in order to avoid the severe consequences of the world food crisis. These consist, in addition to imports, of working at yield increase national.
Algeria is one of the largest wheat consumers in the world. Algerian wheat imports should reach, in 2023, 8.3 million tons. This is reported by the United States Department of Agriculture, in this month of February 2023. This figure represents the highest wheat import volume since 2016-17. This represents almost 1 million tonnes more compared to the previous year (2022).
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On the other hand, the OAIC is said to have bought between 360,000 and 390,000 tonnes of wheat in an international tender this week, Reuters claims. France, Algeria’s leading supplier of soft wheat, will continue to supply the country. Canada, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine will also be part of the deal, traders say. Imports of Russian wheat are not yet confirmed, but they would be around 600,000 or 700,000 tonnes according to the USDA.
Algeria aspires to increase wheat production
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, wheat imports from Algeria during the year 2023 should reach 8.2 million tons.
Wheat constitutes approximately 60% of the food ration of Algerians. National consumption of this commodity is around 11 million tons per year. This figure is likely to increase slightly this year.
In this regard, President Tebboune chaired a cabinet meeting where he stressed the need to increase national wheat production. In 2022, this amounted to 3.3 million tonnes, an increase of 38% compared to the 2.4 million tonnes of the previous year.
Currently, the yield of Algerian fields is estimated at around 16 quintals/hectare (in 2021). A figure that remains quite low for a country the size of Algeria and especially when compared to those of neighboring countries (Egypt, Tunisia, etc.). The president demands to double this output and to reach the 30 quintals/hectare
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The goal is to achieve self-sufficiency concerning this strategic matter as soon as possible. Mohamed Yazid Hambli, the president of the National Chamber of Agriculture, affirmed that the objective set by President Tebboune was achievable. He explains that to achieve this, it will be necessary to apply the technical process of the production of cereals.
