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New step in the strategy to strengthen the country’s food security. A little over two months after the megaproject for the production of powdered milk, the result of a partnership with the Qatari company Baladna, Algeria has just launched a new project with Italy on the production of cereals, legumes and pasta, which is likely to significantly increase the national production of durum wheat, legumes and pasta.
The framework agreement for the implementation of an integrated project for the production of cereals, legumes and pasta in the wilaya of Timimoun was signed the day before yesterday between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Italian company Bonifiche Ferraresi, represented respectively by the Director General of Agricultural Investment and Land at the Ministry and the CEO of the Italian company Bonifiche Ferraresi.
This investment project, which will be carried out on an area of 36,000 hectares in the wilaya of Timimoun, is intended for the production of wheat, lentils, dried beans and chickpeas as well as the construction of processing units for the manufacture of pasta, storage silos and other vital structures. Other strategic crops will also be introduced into the crop rotation, including oilseeds such as soybeans.
This project, worth a total of 420 million euros, will contribute to strengthening the national production of cereals and pulses, increasing non-hydrocarbon exports by exporting pasta, but also creating more than 6,700 jobs, including 1,600 permanent jobs. This was highlighted by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Youcef Cherfa, who spoke at a press conference hosted by the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Francesco Lollobrigida, on the sidelines of the signing ceremony of the framework agreement. “This project will increase the annual national production of wheat by 170,000 tonnes, lentils by 7,100 tonnes, beans by 14,000 tonnes and chickpeas by 11,000 tonnes,” he said.
This project will also contribute to achieving national self-sufficiency in durum wheat, particularly following the significant production achieved this year, which made it possible to satisfy 80% of national demand, he said, specifying 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.
The minister, who stressed 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 under the national plan for the development of strategic crops, said that the launch of work on this project in the wilaya of Timimoun will take place in October 2024, on the occasion of the start of the plowing-sowing season, and this for the preparation of the soil in prelude to the sowing operation in December, before receiving the first production during the summer of 2025.
The project will be completed in all its stages within four years, according to Mr. Cherfa, who stressed 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 as well as cereal and legume storage silos with a total storage capacity of 62,000 tons.
The largest Italian agricultural investment in the southern Mediterranean
The Minister of Agriculture, who said that this project is part of the Algerian policy aimed at strengthening food security through the implementation of the National Plan for the Development of Strategic Crops, highlighted the importance of this project, the second largest agricultural and industrial project implemented 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.
The support of this “vital” project by the Ministry of Finance was further highlighted by the Minister of Finance, Laaziz Faid, who revealed that his department, through the National Investment Fund, contributes 49% to the capital of the project’s joint venture, or 102.9 million euros (14.8 billion dinars),
For his part, the Italian Minister of Agriculture 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.
This project is described by the Italian company Bonifiche Ferraresi as the largest Italian investment in a high-tech agricultural project in the southern Mediterranean, stressing that the first phase of the works will be launched with the drilling of wells to set up a modern drip irrigation system.
The company also indicated that its activity in Algeria included training programs for Algerian professionals and the development of projects in collaboration with Algerian academic and research establishments.