Poultry Sector in Algeria: Production needs more efforts

While many assume that poultry is a key staple of the Algerian kitchen, industry statistics depict a rather opposite picture.

• Per-capita consumption of poultry is a mere 7 kilos (or 14 LBs) per year. With this figure, chickens, turkeys, and other white meats may be hard to find in the average Algerian kitchen.

• So much so that among Algeria’s immediate neighbors, Morocco and Tunisia, the equivalent figure is 15 kilos or 30 LBs in each case.

• Poultry production in Algeria is estimated to reach just 1.2 million quintals or 120,000 tons per year.

• Despite enormous demand for chickens and other birds, the poultry industry has faced a series of barriers to its development. Agriculture experts in Algeria estimate that current production represents only 15% of the actual production capacity.

• This means that a massive 85% of the potential is purely neglected. This sorry state of the poultry industry is also reflected in peripheral sectors, in particular egg production, which also suffers from an important lack of performance.