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Apple producer associations in Aures and Batna, Algeria, have welcomed the recent decisions of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, about preventing the importation of apples from France to protect the local production.
Representatives of these associations confirmed that the move should motivate investments in the sector, making it worthwhile for producers to expand their acreage, to introduce new technologies, to improve the crop quality and to create permanent jobs.
The statement from the associations highlighted that apple producers had been reluctant to take such steps over the past few years due to the opening of the market to imports without the adoption of protectionist laws similar to those enforced by other countries.
It is worth noting that last year, the total apple production in the province of Batna amounted to 750,000 quintals; 30 percent more than in 2015.
