ALGERIA – The Algerian Inter-professional Office of Cereals (OAIC) has launched a public call for  grain and pulse traders to register on its supplier shortlist as part of an expansion of its cereal’s supplier file.

The OAIC is a state agency that procures grains on the domestic as well as international markets for sale and distribution in Algeria. The shortlist application process is typically opened once every several years.

Published in the daily newspaper El Moudjahid, the call is intended for suppliers of cereals (common wheat, durum wheat, barley, rice), pulses (chickpeas, beans, lentils), cereal seeds, and pulse seeds.

OAIC has clarified that bidders will be required to submit their applications by April 14 implying 45 days from the day of the announcement. 

The call further revealed that suppliers already registered on the QAIC shortlist are not exempted from this requirement and must submit a new application.

Among the application requirements highlighted includes a declaration of candidacy (per ANNEX II in the official journal publication N017 of March 16, 2016, and a declaration of probity (integrity) (per ANNEX I in the official journal publication N017 of March 16, 2016.

The bidders are also required to present documents relating to the powers authorizing the persons to hire the candidate (employment contract), balance sheets, and accounts results for the last two financial years (2020-2021) duly certified by an auditor and bank references.

Also, regulatory requirements such as company statutes, business (trade) register, tax references, and the criminal record (less than three months) of the legal representative(s) of the company (or of all the members of the same solidarity group were declared a must.

The call comes at a time when the Algerian government plans to intensify agricultural production, revitalize natural resources, and improve water resources use in a bid to increase local cereal production.

Algeria, is the second largest African importer of wheat behind Egypt, purchasing 7 and 8 million tonnes of wheat to meet its local demand.

In 2022, the country imported around 1.3 million tonnes of wheat from Russia which is four times what Algeria imported in 2021.

The USDA predicts that the country’s wheat consumption will be 11.15 MMT for the 2022/23 season, most of which comes from imports.

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