Algerian Radio
Algiers Chamber of Agriculture President, Ibrahim Djribia, presented an encouraging assessment of Algeria's food sovereignty this Tuesday on Channel 3 of Algerian Radio, highlighting it as one of the top priorities set by the President of the Republic. According to him, "Algerian agriculture currently supplies over 75% of national production, reflecting significant momentum across several strategic sectors."
"There is abundant production in certain sectors such as citrus fruits and market gardening. The homemaker doesn't always return from the market with an empty basket," stated Djribia, emphasizing "the efforts deployed to achieve food security in a context of climate change and geopolitical shifts."
Regarding strategic sectors, the official identified three priority areas for development: grains, milk, and red meat. For grains, the goal is to achieve production that meets national needs, estimated at 9 million tons. "For over 30 years, we have not imported any cereal seeds, thanks to our engineers at the Institute of Field Crops," he specified, noting the importance of developing southern Algeria, which holds significant water reserves estimated between 50,000 and 60,000 cubic meters.
Djribia also discussed major structuring projects, notably the Baladna program with Qataris starting in 2026, which he described as "the project of the century for Algeria," covering grains, meat, and milk. He also mentioned the program with Italians in Timimoun, spanning 36,000 hectares dedicated to grains and pasta.
On sector digitization, the President of the Algiers Chamber of Agriculture announced significant progress. "We began digitization across all 58 chambers in 2023. We have succeeded in identifying our farmers and their production," he explained, noting that a national platform has been established with a unique national number for each farmer. A Professional Agricultural Card with a QR code is also under consideration to simplify administrative and banking procedures.
Concerning the apple sector, Djribia praised "the spectacular emergence of the wilayas of Khenchela and Batna, which have become national leaders with over 4 million quintals produced across 12,000 hectares."
"Previously, we planted 300 trees per hectare; now we reach 3,000 trees per hectare," he emphasized, attributing this progress to the import ban in 2019 and the technical support provided by young engineers.
However, the official pointed out the issue of the gap between producer and consumer prices. "The problem does not lie with the farmer. The mission of agriculture is to produce; commercialization is for another sector," he asserted, calling for better regulation and coordination between the agriculture and commerce sectors.
Finally, Djribia stressed "the urgency of resolving the issue of agricultural land, a prerequisite for encouraging investment," advocating for "the expansion of the recently established scientific council to include chambers of agriculture and field operators," while noting that "research is meaningless if it has no impact on the ground."
