Algeria wants to green part of its Sahara to transform it into an agricultural granary. To achieve this, it plans to launch a vast project to develop half a million hectares in the south of the country to produce durum wheat, oilseeds, and pulses.
“We will start this year the development of 500,000 hectares in the southern wilayas to increase national wheat production capacities to achieve self-sufficiency,” declared this Tuesday, July 2 in Blida the minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Development Youcef Chorfa, according to the official APS agency.
Algeria launches development of 500,000 hectares in the Sahara
To carry out this gigantic project, Algeria is counting on cooperation with Italy and Qatar, whose companies have already announced investments in the Algerian Sahara.
The Italian company Bonifiche Ferraresi (BF) has already benefited from a concession of 36,000 hectares in southern Algeria to develop the cultivation of durum wheat, part of which will be exported to Italy.
For Qatar, it was the giant Baladna that took the step to invest in partnership with the National Investment Fund (NIF) in a giant farm of 270,000 cows in Adrar to produce milk powder and fodder for the cattle.
Qatar will also plant wheat in the Algerian desert as part of this project to develop 500,000 hectares, according to a press release from the Council of Ministers published on Sunday, June 23.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Algeria has set a deadline of three years to transform 500,000 hectares into agricultural land in the south of the country.
These 500,000 hectares will be reserved for strategic crops to ensure the country’s food security and reduce its heavy dependence on imports.
Increase in wheat storage capacity to 5 million tonnes
“The national strategic crops plan does not only mean increasing wheat production. It includes other sectors such as legumes, oilseeds, and seeds,” the Minister of Agriculture indicated.
Still within the framework of this national plan relating to strategic crops which aims, according to the minister, to ensure the country’s food security, work to build a wheat storage silo with a capacity of one million tonnes was carried out. were launched this Tuesday in Soumaâ in the wilaya of Blida.
The project was launched in the presence of Youcef Chorfa. In total, Algeria has decided to build 30 new silos to increase its grain storage capacity to 5 million tonnes, according to the same official.
For wheat produced in the Sahara, it will be stored in future silos. “The production of durum wheat in the south this year will cover 80% of our needs for this product,” the minister further clarified.
Algeria is one of the largest importing and consuming countries of cereals (wheat, corn, and barley) with an annual volume that could reach 14 million tonnes this year, according to the FAO.
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