ALGERIA—Algeria, the second largest importer of cereals in Africa after Egypt, has announced the relaunch of its agri-food complex in Corso, Wilaya of Boumerdès, marking its return to service after 21 years of inactivity.
The public unit, part of the Agrodiv Complex in Corso, officially resumed operations on August 16 after the completion of its rehabilitation project to strengthen the country’s cereal storage infrastructure.
The reopening of the Agrodiv complex is a strategic response to the increasing demand for cereal imports and aligns with the government’s broader goal of improving storage and production capabilities within the sector.
“The rehabilitation and reactivation of this storage unit will contribute to increasing the national capacity for strategic grain reserves and bolstering food security,” said Ali Aoun, Algeria’s Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production.
The storage unit had been out of commission since the devastating May 21, 2003 earthquake, which left its structures significantly damaged.
The complex houses 36 silos with a total storage capacity of 100,000 tons and a flour mill with a daily production capacity of nearly 400 tons of wheat flour.
The long-awaited reopening of the complex is expected to enhance Algeria’s strategic cereal storage capacities, thereby contributing to national food security.
Aoun highlighted that the revival of this plant is a crucial step towards increasing national cereal storage capacities. He emphasized that it will support the government’s efforts to ensure food security and stabilize the cereal supply chain.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Algeria’s cereal imports are projected to reach 14.1 million tonnes for the 2024/2025 period, with wheat comprising nearly 60% of this total.
In response to the growing import needs, the Algerian government launched an initiative in July 2023 aimed at tripling the country’s cereal storage capacity from 3.4 million tonnes to 9 million tonnes by 2025.
As part of this ambition, the construction of 350 new local storage centres was launched in 44 wilayas, each with a capacity of between 5,000 and 7,000 tonnes, as well as the construction of 36 storage silos of cereals with a total capacity of 25,000 tons.
Specifically, Algeria’s Minister of Agriculture kicked off construction work in July 2023 on a cereal storage complex with an estimated capacity of 20,000 tonnes in El Attaf in the wilaya of Ain Defla to facilitate grain preservation in the area.
This move was part of a broader strategy to strengthen the country’s food security.
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