Algeria: Parliament finalises investigation report on food stuff 2011 crisis

The Speaker of the Algerian first house of the parliament, Mr. Abdelaziz Ziari, received the final report of the parliamentary investigation on the food stuff price increases that hit the Algerian market in the beginning of 2011. The president of parliamentary investigation commission, Mr. Kamel Rezki said he had this seen “bad” organization of the national food stuff market in addition to the “non-mastery” of importation mechanisms as well as distribution systems. These weaknesses ‘’were the principal causes of the 2011 January food stuff crisis’’ said Mr; Rezki . Mr. Rezki also indicated that the visits carried out by members of his commission included visits in private and public sectors production unites before revealing that among recorded malfunctioning was ” Lack in raw material of many products in Algeria and that was supposed to be imported for production purposes. The lack of balance between regions in terms of distribution was also seen during our visits “. The most powerful parties of the first house of the Algerian parliament had called to revise the regulation governing the market, likely to mitigate the malfunctioning that led to this critical market situation at the beginning of 2011. The government had taken special measures to subsidize prices of these basic food stuff after a sudden increase of these prices beginning 2011, which was the main cause of a series of protests and riots that hit the principal towns and cities of the country in the four regions.