Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Algeria is expected to become the largest cereal producer in the Maghreb with an 11% increase in production. Wheat production is expected to reach 3 million tonnes by 2030.
These forecasts from the United States Department of Agriculture were highlighted by the director of the National School of Agronomy (ENSA), Professor Tarik Hartani, who stressed the need to develop the cereal sector, particularly in the south of the country, to achieve these objectives.
Speaking on National Radio on Monday, Mr. Hartani explained the need to seriously take charge of cereal production in the South, through the mobilization of logistical, human, technical and scientific resources.
“We are aware that we need to find the right formula that is appropriate for our country, such as developing modules of 500 to 1,000 hectares to enhance them with a rotation system comprising two crops per year, to obtain a sustainable yield and ensure an equivalent level from year to year,” he said.
He stated that the public authorities are putting all the means to achieve a production of 3 million tonnes in the great South in the medium term, with an appreciable annual growth rate allowing to meet national needs.
At the head of the implementation committee of the national strategy 2024/2025, Professor Hartani stressed that the strategy developed by his team consists of “having 500,000 hectares cultivated in cereals, out of the total of 30 million hectares in the greater Sahara, and this in rotation with other crops, in addition to the pivot systems of around 50 hectares, in association with livestock farming which makes it possible to maintain soil fertility from year to year”, he specified.
In the same vein, Mr. Hartani estimated that 9 billion cubic meters of water are needed per year to irrigate the 500,000 hectares, due to two crops per campaign. “Today, we need to conduct a study on the proven hydraulic potential in our great South in order to go beyond the theoretical framework and hypotheses,” he said.
He thus pointed out the need for a water policy since this strategy will consume a lot of water. “We must be able, with our scientists, to calculate them and manage them sustainably to allow future generations to continue to prosper in the South,” he said.
The speaker also highlighted the importance of having a seed bank. “We cannot have food sovereignty without a seed bank, in addition to the Living Labs, where we must continually search for new adapted varieties and also prepare our seeds for each campaign, in order to have a minimum of loss and a maximum of valorization of each square meter cultivated and each cubic meter of water used,” he stressed.
Regarding cereal production, Mr. Hartani also foresees increasing the yield up to 60 quintals per hectare, after increasing the area of agricultural land.