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“60% of durum wheat will be intended for strategic stock and 40% for processing and export”
Timimoun Integrated Cereal, Legume and Pasta Production Project
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Youcef Cherfa, assured, the day before yesterday Saturday in Algiers, that the integrated project for the production of cereals, legumes and pasta in the wilaya of Timimoun, the launch of which is scheduled for October 2024 and the reception of the first production during the summer of 2025, will increase the annual national production of wheat by 170,000 tons, lentils by 7,100 tons, beans by 14,000 tons and chickpeas by 11,000 tons. And will contribute, he indicated, also to achieving national self-sufficiency in durum wheat, in particular following the significant production achieved this year, which made it possible to satisfy 80% of the national demand. Noting that 60% of the durum wheat produced within the framework of this project will be intended for the strategic stock and 40% of the production for processing and export.
Speaking at a press conference with the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Francesco Lollobrigida, on the sidelines of the signing ceremony of a framework agreement between his ministerial department and the Italian company Bonifiche Ferraresi (BF) for the implementation of this project, Youcef Cherfa affirmed that other projects will follow to achieve the objective of developing 500,000 hectares in the South of the country by 2027, set by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, under the national plan for the development of strategic crops.
Stressing that the project consists of an integrated farm for the production of cereals and legumes, a durum wheat mill, a pasta production line, a couscous production line, and cereal and legumes storage silos with a total storage capacity of 62,000 tons, Youcef Cherfa said that this project will be finalized in all its stages within four years.
“The joint venture that will manage the project will be 49% owned by the National Investment Fund (FNI) and 51% by the Italian side,” he continued.
This project, he said during the signing ceremony of the framework agreement for the implementation of a cereal and legume production project in Timimoun, will be carried out on an area of 36,000 hectares in the wilaya of Timimoun, intended for the production of wheat, lentils, dried beans and chickpeas and the construction of processing units for the manufacture of pasta, storage silos and other vital structures, and will devote an area of 35,450 hectares to the cultivation of wheat and various legumes, while the remaining area will be devoted to the construction of an agro-food complex including a flour mill, a storage unit and a pasta production unit.
“This is the second largest agricultural and industrial project completed in Algeria in a short period, after the signing of a similar agreement with the Qatari company ”Baladna”, last April, for the implementation of an integrated project for the breeding of dairy cows and the production of powdered milk in the wilaya of Adrar,” he said.
For his part, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, affirmed that this project brings added value, particularly in terms of contribution to the creation of jobs and wealth, stressing that it will constitute a model of partnership between the two countries.
In a document distributed to the press by the Italian company, Bonifiche Ferraresi (BF), the latter announced that the first phase of the works will be launched with the drilling of wells to set up a modern drip irrigation system. Indicating that its activity in Algeria included training programs for Algerian professionals and the development of projects in collaboration with Algerian academic and research institutions. “This project will be the largest Italian investment in a high-tech agricultural project in the South of the Mediterranean,” we read through this document.
Rabah Mokhtari