Located in the province of Adrar, in the south of Algeria, the powdered milk production project of the Qatari company Baladna should start production in 2026. Why Algeria and why Adrar? Officials from the Qatari company respond.
At the end of April, a framework agreement was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Baladna for the construction of a giant farm of 270,000 cows for the production of powdered milk in Adrar, in the Algerian Sahara.
Speaking on the sidelines of the signing of the agreement, Minister of Agriculture Youcef Cherfa said that the production of the Baladna company’s project will be carried out in four phases. The first will begin in 2026 and the last will take place nine years after the launch of the project.
Baladna representatives explain the company’s project in Algeria
The project is worth $3.5 billion. Located on an area of 117,000 hectares, this integrated project is composed of three poles: a grain and fodder production farm, a cow breeding and milk and meat production farm, as well as a milk powder production plant.
The representative of the Qatari company, Ramez Al Khayyat, stressed, during the signing of the agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, that the project will allow the production of nearly 194,000 tons of powdered milk per year.
In a report produced by Algerian Television, broadcast on Wednesday, August 14, representatives of the Qatari company Baladna returned to this project, providing new details.
“The Baladna project in Algeria is in line with our country’s vision for sustainable food security,” explained a representative about the choice of Algeria. As for the choice of the wilaya of Adrar for the establishment of the giant farm, the speaker emphasizes that it is in relation to the region’s wealth of natural resources.
Baladna Project: Why Algeria and Adrar?
“Why specifically in Adrar? It is because this region is full of natural resources and perfectly meets the conditions for raising cows,” he explained.
The specialist adds, in the same vein, that the dry climate is “perfectly favorable” to cattle breeding. “We also believe that we are able to achieve what has already been achieved in Qatar on a large scale,” he said.
In Qatar, Baladna has transformed a vast expanse of arid Sahara into a farm with more than 24,000 cows that produce 250 million liters of milk annually. “In 2014, the company started its operations as a goat farm,” another Baladna representative said.
In 2017, the company decided to expand its business to cow’s milk production. “Today, we have achieved self-sufficiency in Qatar,” he added.
“We use technology to help animals achieve better profitability with air conditioning. We use smart irrigation to water the cows when necessary. We have a control system that can determine the temperature and humidity outside as well as the humidity and temperatures inside the stables,” explained another Baladna executive.
The milk produced on this farm is then processed on-site into UHT milk, skimmed milk or other dairy products.
A manager at the Qatari company then insisted on respect for the environment and sustainable development in all stages related to milk production and the operation of the farm.
This project in Algeria, ten times larger than that of Qatar (according to ENTV), therefore promises good results in the milk sector in particular and for the country’s economy in general.
