Algeria made a request to import 150.000 tons of wheat and will receive the shipment acquired from the European market next June and May in order to cover the needs that are dispatched to the mills outside the national product.

• The vocational office of grains and  derivatives bought, last week, 150.000 tons of wheat and as confirmed by exporters who will deliver the products.  Shipping towards Algeria will begin on May to June.
• The European exporters added that the prices will reach 205 euros per tonne and the request includes wheat destined to the mills.
• The same sources said the majority of the shares will come from France.
• Previously, the office of grains announced an international tender to buy 150 tons of wheat destined to mills from 2008 crops.
• Algeria imported, by the end of last February, 300 tons of wheat used in mills at the price of $195 per ton, noting that the import of the same product in Algeria reached 6.35m tons in 2008 with $3.12b compared to 4.85 million tons with $1.39b in 2007.
• Because of the high volume of imports, Algeria was ranked fourth among the importing countries  of wheat after the International Grains Council estimated the rate of imports at about 5.6 million tons. Algeria exceeds this volume after the national crop season 2007/2008 declined to 1.2 million tons compared to 1.4m tons.
•  A source from the office of grains told Echorouk that the process of unloading the products from one ship with 25.000 tons needs eight days, meaning that 150.000 tons need 48 days.