Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced 2024, that the country is on track to achieve full self-sufficiency in durum wheat production by the end of 2025.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune

To bolster wheat production, the Algerian government has set ambitious agricultural goals, including expanding cultivated areas in southern Algeria to 500,000 hectares. Investments from Qatar and Italy, totaling 153,000 hectares, alongside national investments of 120,000 hectares, have been earmarked for this initiative. This strategic focus on durum wheat reflects Algeria’s historical production and consumption patterns, as durum wheat constitutes a smaller segment of the global wheat market compared to soft wheat. 

During his address on September 17, President Tebboune also emphasized plans to enhance barley and corn production, aiming for complete self-sufficiency in these crops by 2026. In line with these objectives, the Minister of Agriculture, Youcef Chorfa, has committed to significantly expanding irrigated farmland, targeting an increase of one million hectares. By 2028, the government aims to cultivate over one million hectares of farmland in Algeria’s desert, focusing on wheat, barley, corn, and legumes.

Despite these ambitious targets, Algeria remains a significant wheat importer, with forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimating wheat production for the 2024/25 season at 3 million metric tons. The USDA projects Algeria’s wheat imports for the same season to be around 9 million metric tons, following a record 9.4 million metric tons imported in the previous marketing year. Historically, bread wheat has constituted the bulk of Algeria’s wheat imports, accounting for 75% to 80%, while durum wheat imports have represented 20% to 25%. While EU countries have been traditional suppliers, Algeria’s wheat import market is evolving, with growing competition from Russia, Canada, Mexico, the United States, and Turkey.