Importing meat undermines livestock production in Algeria: official says

The Algerian Farmers’ Union Secretary General Mohammed Alioui has revealed that Algeria can easily cover its domestic market with mutton without resorting to the import of frozen meat from abroad, if only the authorities have committed to help the cattle breeders and tightened the screws on the speculators and smugglers.

•  
• In a declaration made to “Echourok” Mohammed Alioui has indicated that the annual consumption of this product is estimated at around 2.5 million sheep indicating that the number of sheep that be slaughtered can reach 3 millions.
•  
• This quantity, he added, is largely available and the Algerian authorities can even export overseas, calling on them to stop importing from abroad considering the move as threat to the domestic breeders. He went on saying that carrying on the import of meat translates the failure of the managers of the sector to handle production and distribution;
•  
• M Alioui has estimated the number of sheep in Algeria at around 20 millions all types included in addition to some 1.1 million of cattle and 600 thousand camel scattered across the great south and the frontiers with Mali and Niger.
•  
• For his pat the chairman of the Executive Board of the National Meat Packaging and Transformation Group “Sotracov” Zefzaf Djahid has indicated that the bulk of imported meat by the private and public operators is estimated at 45 thousand tonnes per year.
•  
• This quantity represents 11% of the overall consumption estimated at 400 thousand tonnes annually. Estimates released by the Agriculture Ministry reveal that the average consumption of meat is around 10 Kilograms per individual per year.
•