Algeria’s imports of cereals, semolina and flour rose 2.5% by value in the first quarter of 2020 from a year earlier, official data showed on Friday.
The North African country, one of the world’s largest grain importers, has been trying to cut spending on cereal purchases and other goods to ease the impact of a fall in energy export revenue, the main source of state finances.
The import bill for durum wheat, soft wheat, semolina and flour reached $629.50 million in January-March, against $614.39 million in the first three months of 2019, according to customs’ figures.
It provided no details on volumes.
That accounted for 32.5% of the total bill for food imports in the first quarter, which rose 0.6% from a year earlier to $1.93 billion. (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; Editing by Susan Fenton)
