These products are set to be exported by Algeria in the next two years

The Government is set to embark under the pressure of the oil crisis and the steady decline in the revenues of the country in hard currency, upon a string of promises made of late to the Algerians to shift to the export of a number of products outside the hydrocarbon sector within the next three years (2017-2018-2019), and thereby lessen the country’s import bill, but the standing question is will the government go ahead with fulfilling its promises on the ground or will it forsake its plans as soon as a slight rise in oil prices occurs?

In this context, the government promised Algerians to curtail costly imports notably concerning fuel imports by the year 2019, where the value of such imports which reached more than two billion dollars in 2015 before dropping to one billion dollars in 2016, according to revelations made by a senior executive of the national hydrocarbons Group Sonatrach.

Sonatrach plans to invest more in the refining activity and oil refineries, as it is expected to launch five new production units starting from the year 2019, and these units will be set up in the provinces of Biskra, Hassi Messaoud, Arzew, Skikda and Tiaret.

Among other highlighted products that will enter the export arena in line with the government’s promises is cement, with the Minister of Industry and Mines Abdeslam Bouchouareb announcing a recent working visit to Sétif province that by the end of the year 2017, Algeria will achieve self-sufficiency in terms of cement production.

According to government figures, the cement production capacity of Algeria will attain 24 million tons per year, prompting Mr Bouchouareb to assert that the year 2018 will witness the beginning of the export by Algeria of cement.

The government is also counting on reaching the stage of export in the textile sector through the compound of Sidi Khattab located in western Relizane province which is being run in partnership with Turkish operators, and where the gross national product now covers the needs of only 4 percent of the market as the latter can garner at full capacity of production more than 400 billion dinars (nearly $ 4 billion dollars).

According to the Minister of Industry, Algeria is poised to bolster production in the Relizane compound and foster viable public partnerships in the rest of the other textile compounds in various parts of the country, with a view to boosting exports of over 60 percent of produced textile products “Made in Algeria”.

In addition, other high-grade products bearing the “Algerian label” like agricultural, handicrafts and home appliances products will be destined for export to several African and Arab countries.