Algerian Trade Ministry cancelled resolution on pasta food export ban

Sources from the general department of economic control and fraud repression belonging to the trade ministry revealed that the executive decree No. 07-402 of last December 25 on wheat semolina and steel prices has nothing to do with pasta, wheat semolina and steel prices neither with their exportation abroad.

The same sources added that the decree came to reduce the increase of semolina prices and not to have a negative impact on Algerian exports outside hydrocarbons sector.

 The ministry issued an instruction on March 5th to all trade provincial departments in Algeria confirming that it didn’t halt food product’s exportation, contrary to what factories owners and food pasta units understand, which began Algerian foodstuffs quantities exportations operations to west African countries particularly Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali. These countries have now a good knowledge of Algerian food products and pasta, according to the same sources. 

Trade minister Hachemi Jaboub confirmed in a related subject that African countries offer tremendous opportunities adding that the Algerian exportations to Africa reached 840 million dollars in the last five years.  Most of them come from hydrocarbons while exports out of hydrocarbons didn’t exceed 16 million dollars in spite of the enormous opportunities offered by African countries in some fields such as industrial processing, manufactured products and industrial food.  “They are national branches that can be added especially when the national product is “nowadays exportable because of the evolution that has been made in quality field”.

 Hussein Chawi “El idd”s, General Manger of the  Algerian company which exports Algerian food products to the Mauritanian market and other west African countries since 2004, that the main problem suffered by Algerian exporting companies is the lack of transmission lines directly towards African countries, wondering “how can they compete products that are coming directly from Spain in time Algerian containers go to Malta and Barcelona ports to be re-sipped to wards Mauritanian and Senegal ports.”

 Hussein chawi stressed to “echorouk el yaoumi” that Algerian food products have good reputation in Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, and even Gabon especially pasta food produced by “Sim” and “Labelle” companies, and “Rouiba” drink company, but the main obstacle is the lack of sea lines directly to these countries situated in west Africa French-speaking, making it has been easier for Algeria food products to access quite easily since they reached 400 tons per month.

It’s expected to go up in case the government provides necessary political support to Algerian exporters. He explained that the Algerian presence in West African markets goes beyond economic aspects to other no less important in view of the excellent relations between Algeria and west African countries, particularly Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Gabon, adding that the Algerian food products cover about 70 percent of the Mauritanian market needs, which are expected to go up thanks to unprecedented Mauritanian consumer’s demand, because of it’s good quality and competitive prices of all food product’s imported from Spain or Egypt and Morocco that try vigorously to block Algerian products in west African countries for known political crisis.