The Cereals Industry in Algeria |
| Imports |
Algeria is one of the most important cereals importer in the world. More than 1.4 billion dollars of cereals were imported in 2004.
The importance of import streams comes from that Algerian agriculture satisfy only 35-40% of the market demand in cereal products. This demand is fed by the cereal's consumption model with dominant "cereal" (Bread pancake, pizza, m'hadjeb, cakes, couscous and surrogates, pastas). |
| Consumption |
Consumption of cereal products in Algerial is relatively high. It oscillates around an annual average of 220 kg per capita, that is more than Tunisia with 205 kg/inhabitant and less than Morocco and its 240 kg/inhabitant. |
| Regulations |
Over the past few years the Algerian Government took some sanitary and phytosanitary measures that could affect trade. Since December 2000, biotech varieties of seeds are prohibited, but trade in commodities produced through biotechnology (corn, soybeans) has not been affected.
Other specific requirements were amended by decree regarding harmful organisms for a large group of plant materials of which the cereals specifics; (Aticle 13, Decree of July 14, 2002).
All cereals shipments and leguminous for food and feed must come from production field that are officially certified free after appropriate tests and declared free of harmful organisms listed in annexe III (d) of this decree (e.g Karnal bunt for wheat; as Tilletia indica, controversa, Ustilago tritici, or barley stripe mosaic for barley and Xanthomonas oryzae for rice). |
| Processing |
There are more than 270 private flour mills in Algeria having a total capacity of 9.24 Million t/year. Only 10 of them have a capacity over 500 T/day.
5 public companies Eriad, having a total capacity of 2.85 Million t/year are in charge of the processing of cereal as well as distribution of their products (Semolina, flour, pastas couscous, biscuits and yeast).. Their H.Q. are in Algiers, Sétif, Constantine, Tiaret, Sidi Bel Abbes
These companies have some financial and management difficulties, and their subsidiaries are in a privatization process. In the last months the French Lesaffre Group took the control of 2 subsidiairies of ERIAD Algiers. The privatization opportunities can be found at the Participations and Investment Promotion Ministry www.mppi.dz
|
|
|
