Algeria’s exports of building materials, during the year 2022, reached around 1.3 billion dollars, an increase of 56% compared to the year 2021, according to figures presented, Tuesday in Algiers, by the Minister of Trade and Export Promotion, Tayeb Zitouni, reports the APS agency.
During a meeting with Algerian exporters in the field of construction materials, on the sidelines of the 25th edition of the “Batimatec 2023” exhibition, Mr. Zitouni revealed that Algeria exported, last year, 12.18 million tonnes of construction materials, for an amount of nearly USD 1.3 billion, compared to USD 567 million in 2021.
The minister further affirmed that construction materials have represented “Algeria’s largest non-hydrocarbon exports over the past two years, especially since their quota on total non-hydrocarbon exports has reaches 15% in 2021 and 11% in 2022.
Rebar at the top of exported materials
According to the Minister, concrete reinforcing bars come first among construction materials exported, for a value of 547.8 million USD, against 334.4 million USD in 2021. According to the same source, cement comes in second position, with a value of USD 424 million in 2022, compared to USD 215 million in 2021 and USD 68.8 million in 2020, while the value of exported floor slab amounted to USD 14.3 million, plaster and fabricated materials from plaster at 11.8 million USD and tiles (0.8 million USD).
Algeria occupies the 14th position globally in the export of cement, according to Mr. Zitouni who revealed that Algeria exported this material to 62 countries last year, including 22 African countries, 6 Arabs, and 34 other countries.
Algeria achieved the highest import growth rates of this material in the world during the period between 2017 and 2022 (155%), which allowed it to move from an importing country to an exporting country of cement, adds the minister.
The United States is the most important customer of Algeria
The United States is Algeria’s most important customer in terms of construction materials, with 30% of the overall rate of Algeria’s exports in this sector. Exports consist mainly of reinforcing bars and steel. The United States is followed by Belgium (11%) and Germany (8% of Algeria’s overall export rate).
The African countries together represent 28% of the overall rate of Algerian building materials exports, divided between Côte d’Ivoire (7%), Ghana (6%), Mauritania and Cameroon (3% each), and Senegal, Guinea, and Togo (2% each).
209 exporters of building materials
Regarding the number of Algerian exporters in the construction materials sector, it amounts, according to the Minister, to 209 exporters, including 19 exporters of concrete reinforcing bars and steel, 99 exporters of cement, 47 exporters of slabs of flooring, 29 exporters of plaster and plaster products, and 15 exporters of bricks.
According to Mr. Zitouni, these statistics reflect “Algeria’s significant capacities in the export of construction materials, which could enable it to occupy the first places at the world level, particularly in the field of cement export”.
