In Algeria, the corn grain harvest is in full swing in the south. For several days, the harvest has been underway, a crop strongly encouraged by Algeria to reduce expensive imports and achieve self-sufficiency. The goal is to cultivate 220,000 hectares of corn by 2028.
In Adrar, an investor is filming the harvest. A combine harvester empties its hopper into a truck bed, with the machine’s auger delivering bursts of golden yellow grains.
Why Corn Grain is Strategic in Algeria
A second machine waits to empty its hopper. At the front of the combine harvester, the cereal cutting bar has been replaced by corn-specific picker heads.
The equipment is manufactured in Sidi Bel Abbรฉs under a Sampo license. Nearby, other trucks are waiting. The local Cooperative of Cereals and Dry Vegetables (CCLS) has provided several harvesting machines, and the National Office for Livestock Feed (ONAB) has deployed the necessary logistics to store this corn harvest emerging in the desert.
For ONAB, the task is to transport the harvest to storage centers, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away, and ensure the grains are dried.
These grains are vital for chicken farming, providing affordable meat for low-income households and a source of protein.
On Algerian Radio on January 14, Hanane Labiod, Director of Regulation and Valorization of Agricultural Production at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, provided an update on corn grain production in Algeria. She had just returned from a tour in the Timimoun province for the official launch of the harvest, describing the expansion of corn grain cultivation in the south as “a relatively new crop.”
Despite this, investors have achieved record yields of 115 quintals, although the average is around 80-90 quintals per hectare, with some cases at 50 quintals.
Corn grain, previously bought by ONAB at 4,500 Algerian Dinars (DA) per quintal, is now purchased at 5,000 DA, ensuring better profitability for investors. This price remains higher than the global market rate, as noted by Hanane Labiod.
Investors also receive support on irrigation equipment and fertilizer purchase prices. As only the grains are harvested, corn leaves behind crop residues that enrich the soil, a significant advantage in these desert lands.
Algerian agricultural services are counting on harvesting about 16,000 hectares of corn grain in the provinces of Adrar, Timimoun, and Ouargla, aiming for 30,000 hectares by 2025, including 8,000 in the north.
Competition from Forage Corn
Corn cultivation faces competition from forage corn. Harvested earlier, it is chopped and packed into round bales wrapped in plastic film, allowing preservation for two years. This product is in high demand by livestock farmers and sold at market price.
In 2021, the APS agency reported a local production of 150,000 tonnes of silage corn in El Mรฉnea, compared to only 13,000 tonnes of corn grain. In Adrar in 2022, nearly 88,000 quintals of corn grain were harvested against over 600,000 quintals of silage corn. In Ouargla in 2020, silage corn reached nearly 600 hectares from 60 the previous year, according to the daily newspaper l’Expression.
The success of silage corn is due to its shorter growing cycle, being harvestable after three months. This benefits investors with less irrigation time and lower electricity bills from Sonelgaz.
Another significant advantage is that silage corn can be followed by wheat sowing, which is not possible after a grain corn harvest in January.
This trend towards silage corn persists despite the need for expensive, specialized equipment like silage harvesters, wrappers, and hydraulic forks for handling tonne bales. In El Mรฉnea, farms have specialized in this production, with service providers emerging.
The ambitious goal to expand corn grain fields in Algeria is noted. Hanane Labiod thanked the Timimoun authorities, particularly the governor, for their support in this program’s success. She highlighted the importance, noting that Algeria imports 3.5 million tonnes of corn grain annually to feed poultry and produce affordable white meat for citizens.
Corn grain has become strategic in Algeria, with 1.35 kilos of corn-soy mix needed to produce one kilo of chicken meat. The conversion rate of grains to meat is unmatched, considering it takes about ten kilos or more of grains to produce one kilo of beef.
Towards Local Seed Production
In July 2024, during a Cabinet meeting, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune emphasized prioritizing corn grain, aiming to make its production a tradition in Algerian agriculture.
Hanane Labiod also praised the supportive role of technical institutes, offices, and CCLS, mentioning that educational caravans are organized in various provinces to provide technical support to farmers interested in this crop.
She announced a future program for local seed production, currently all imported. Investors also benefit from technical support from seed companies and agricultural supply firms.
Timac Agro reports selling fertilizers on over 20,000 hectares in the south, while Profert offers a “Crop Plan” including seeds, fertilizers, and phytosanitary products.
The efforts to produce corn grain in southern Algeria involve massive resources to reduce imports of this strategic product, mainly aimed at meeting the high demand from poultry farming.