Food Security Central to New Agriculture Minister’s Priorities
Sid Ali Khaldi officially took office as Algeria's new Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Fisheries on Wednesday, succeeding Yacine El Mahdi Oualid. A graduate of the National School of Administration and former Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Khaldi expressed gratitude to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for the trust placed in him. He underscored agriculture's role as a “strategic sector and a vital pillar” for national economic sovereignty and food security.
In his inaugural address, Minister Khaldi outlined a comprehensive vision for the sector, pledging to collaborate with stakeholders on modernization efforts aimed at increasing agriculture's contribution to GDP, supporting economic diversification, and reducing the country's import bill. His priorities include strengthening agricultural data and statistics systems and addressing challenges like climate change through optimal and sustainable resource management to meet the food needs of both current and future generations. The ministry is also set to oversee the agricultural response to recent wildfires, assessing losses in affected wilayas to expedite financial and material compensation for farmers and livestock breeders.
The minister's mandate extends to consolidating food security through sustained efforts to achieve lasting self-sufficiency in durum wheat and reduce reliance on imports. This includes addressing distribution channels and implementing measures to combat speculation in widely consumed products, with the objective of stabilizing markets and protecting consumers' purchasing power. Significant agricultural development is also planned for Algeria's southern regions, featuring major projects such as the Qatari Baladna investment in Adrar, valued at $3.5 billion for dairy and livestock production, and an Algerian-Italian project in Timimoun worth €420 million, focused on cereals and pulses. The Office for the Development of Industrial Agriculture in Saharan Lands (ODAS) is expected to oversee the expansion of agricultural concessions and support infrastructure development in production areas.
The fisheries and aquaculture component of the ministry's portfolio includes plans to boost national production through expanding marine aquaculture with floating cages and developing inland aquaculture. Efforts are also underway to increase domestic production of fish feed and reduce import dependency, exemplified by the reopening of the Ouargla production unit in partnership with South Korea. Furthermore, the ministry will oversee the implementation of Algeria's fisheries cooperation agreement with Mauritania, which allocates Algeria a 30,000-tonne fishing quota, alongside managing the country’s 2,467-tonne bluefin tuna quota in national waters. Initiatives to modernize the national fleet, including support for local shipbuilding of tuna vessels and large trawlers, and measures to enhance the social protection of fishermen, are also part of the comprehensive program.
