Yacine Walid, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, and Nassima Arhab, Minister of Vocational Training and Education, chaired a coordination meeting on Wednesday regarding training in agricultural mechanization. During the meeting, a joint action plan was established to train trainers and specialized labor in operating and maintaining specialized agricultural equipment.
The meeting was attended by central officials from both sectors, the President of the National Chamber of Agriculture, a representative of the National Interprofessional Council for the Cereal Sector, directors of technical institutes, the director of the agricultural mechanization company (a subsidiary of the Agrodiv Group), a representative of the agricultural equipment marketing company, a representative of the Algerian Interprofessional Cereal Office, and a representative of the National Higher School of Agriculture.
The meeting served as an opportunity to assess the current state of agricultural mechanization in Algeria, particularly for strategic crops such as cereals. It highlighted a significant shortage of qualified labor in operating and maintaining agricultural equipment, especially harvesters, which leads to high levels of crop loss during the harvest season.
In this context, both parties agreed to formulate and implement training programs to meet the needs of the agricultural sector, including the launch of an urgent training course for harvester drivers in anticipation of the 2025-2026 harvesting and threshing campaign, which begins mid-month in the southern provinces.
The first training session on best practices for operating and maintaining harvesters will begin on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at the Sampo-Algerie harvester manufacturing plant in the province of Sidi Bel Abbes. This session is intended for harvester drivers from cereal and pulse cooperatives, private individuals, and graduates of vocational training institutes, aiming to familiarize them with technical details and field maintenance.
Experienced technicians in harvester operation and maintenance will also be invited to participate in training sessions for trainers and drivers to share their field expertise.
Additionally, the two ministers instructed relevant officials to immediately begin preparing training programs for trainers and trainees in agricultural mechanization. These programs will incorporate technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship to enable young people to establish businesses in this field.
