Algeria: Import of 20 Thousand Tons Of Fresh Meat To Break Market Prices

The inter-ministerial commission entrusted with issuing import licenses has awarded 19 licenses for the benefit of national economic operators for the import of 20,000 tons of fresh red meat, according to the Trade Ministry.

“The Commission has allocated 19 licenses to import fresh red meat for a quantity of 20,000 tons in a first stage,” the same source said, stressing that 50% of these quantities will be imported from Spain. The rest will come from France, Italy, Brazil and New Zealand.

It has been established that the average meat consumption by each Algerian is about 10 kg per year for red meat.

According to the same official, another 17,000 tons of red meat have already been imported since the beginning of 2017 through import licenses issued for the year 2016.

“There will be no disruption in the supply of fresh meat, the total of these quantities will flood the national market on the eve of the holy month of fasting of Ramadhan and we even foresee a positive repercussion on the prices which should decrease,” he further noted.

As for the staple commodities, the same official pointed out that they would continue to be imported by virtue of the 2016 import licenses until the working out of the 2017 ones.

As a recall, the Ministry of Trade had pinpointed the quantitative quotas for imports of some products and goods under import licenses for the year 2017 between 1st and 15th of last April.