Agriculture
From The Report: Algeria 2013
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Although Algeria has historically relied heavily on food imports to meet domestic demand, the agriculture sector has seen considerable growth since the 2008 introduction of the Agricultural and Rural Renewal Policy. Under the policy, production has grown by an average of 13.8% per year, with total output reaching $29.3bn in 2012. Despite this growth, however, food imports still accounted for 19% of all imports in 2012, worth a total value of $8.98bn (although this was an 8.8% decline from the previous year). With the goal of producing 70% of the country’s food by 2014, the government has implemented a number of incentives to boost investment in the sector, modernise practices and boost agribusiness output.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Going local: A rapidly growing industry is on its way to meeting demand through domestic production
OBG
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After decades of heavily relying on imports to meet Algeria’s food needs, the agriculture sector has made significant strides since 2008 under the Agricultural and Rural Renewal Policy (Politique du Renouveau Agricole et Rural, PRAR). This was launched in 2008 to enhance output of key crops, stimulate rural development, strengthen training and provide technical support. The PRAR has proved successful in boosting local agricultural production thanks to partnerships and collaboration, notably…

Analysis

Organic potential: A budding organic segment parallels sector expansion and growth
OBG
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Organic farming in Algeria is still in its infancy although the segment has started to attract more and more interest considering the numerous advantages the country presents for this type of activity. “The delay in developing local production has actually become an advantage for Algeria today,” Djamel Barchiche, communication adviser at the Ministry of Agriculture, told OBG. One of Algeria’s main assets is the natural quality of its soil due to the long absence of mechanisation and the…