Millers are forced to produce wheat in Algeria, Agriculture Minister says
الشروق أونلاين
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Algerian millers will soon produce wheat in Algeria, rather than buying or importing it from abroad, either through benefiting from agricultural lands, in the framework of the agricultural concession or through a partnership between the millers and the owners of agricultural lands, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Sid Ahmed Ferroukhi told Echorouk.
“Government will give a great importance, during the next phase, to raise wheat production and reduce the import bill, as this comes at a time when Algeria still ranked among the largest grain importers, because millers launched the production of this product in the eastern, western, central and southern of the country, and now they are compelled to produce wheat that will be converted to flour and semolina, a product which is often imported by millers from abroad, to achieve self-sufficiency within the national market. The process will also be realized through partnership with owners agricultural lands or through agricultural privileges.”
“Large efforts of the state will be done to counter the import, and it comes to wheat and milk. Agriculture Ministry will launch, in the coming days, a set of new facilities for the Algerians who are wishing to invest in this area, saying. I gave instructions to make it easier for owners of agricultural investments in the field of milk and wheat, and I asked not to hinder them, because our goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in these products”.
“Problem of collective investors will be resolved once and for all in the near future, by enabling owners of these agricultural lands to search for new partners who can finance their needs, and this after they fail in the last period to obtain bank loans, because of the disagreements between the owners of these lands. Preparation started to reclaim vast lands of nearly one million hectares, as these lands are the government’s target to make them suitable for cultivation and production in the framework of a permanent effort to reduce the imported food bill from abroad and achieve security in this area.”
