Agriculture
From The Report: Algeria 2015
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A drive to improve food security, coupled with weakened oil prices worldwide, has prompted Algeria to accelerate its planned agricultural reforms over the next five years. To that end, in 2014 the government announced plans to spend AD300bn (€2.8bn) each year on agriculture as part of the Public Investment Programme 2015- 19. However, some key challenges must be addressed. In this respect, government-led efforts to increase the area of irrigated land, encourage the use of fertiliser and promote uptake of new farming techniques constitute a big step forward. In the coming years, water usage is expected to play a central role in sector development plans, given the challenges posed by Algeria’s hot, dry climate and the government’s declared intention to intensify local production levels as a means to reduce the country’s reliance on food imports. This chapter contains interviews with Sid Ahmed Ferroukhi, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries; and Kaci Ibrahim, General Manager, Ifri.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Locally grown: Fluctuating production levels speed up ongoing reforms to boost domestic production
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A drive to improve food security, coupled with weakened oil prices worldwide, have prompted Algeria to accelerate its planned agricultural reforms over the next five years. To that end, in 2014 the government announced plans to spend AD300bn (€2.8bn) each year on agriculture as part of the Public Investment Programme 2015-19 in order for the country to build on its ongoing Agricultural and Rural Renewal Policy (Politique de Renouveau Agricole et Rural, PRAR). Sector Policy Launched in 2008,…

Interview

Looking forward: OBG talks to Sid Ahmed Ferroukhi, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries
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Interview:Sid Ahmed Ferroukhi How has Algerian agriculture performed over the past five years? SID AHMED FERROUKHI: The first indicator is the growth rate, which is almost 11%, higher than that of the national economy as a whole. It should be noted that some sectors saw particularly strong growth. For example, we have doubled potato production over four years. Another important indicator is in job creation. We currently see a near-saturation of the available agricultural workforce. We can…

Interview

Visions of excellence: OBG talks with Kaci Ibrahim, General Manager, Ifri
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Interview: Kaci Ibrahim What is the impact of Algeria’s efforts to reduce imports and improve agricultural production? KACI IBRAHIM: It is too early to measure the impact. It will take time to assess the effectiveness of the strategy adopted by the government, which is to develop agriculture and agro-food industry with the goal of achieving national food self-sufficiency. To me, there appears to be several steps to implement in order to achieve this. First, there needs to be a strategic increase…

Analysis

Feeding growth: Algeria expands fertiliser production with a new plant
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Fertiliser production in Algeria has risen in 2014 and 2015, thanks largely to major plants expanding production and the launch of a third producer. Increasing fertiliser use plays a key role in government plans to step up domestic agricultural production. Currently, Algeria’s use of fertiliser is well below that of its neighbours, Morocco and Tunisia. To this end, existing Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries fertiliser subsidies of 20%, combined with expanding production locally,…