Agriculture…for sustainable food security: Industry Minister proposes series of structural measures to enhance food industry in Algeria

By: Hana Saada 

ALGIERS– The Minister of Industry, Ahmed Zaghdar, discussed aspects related to the development of the agricultural sector, being a pillar to achieve sustainable food security.

“The Agriculture sector plays a major role in sustainable food security, thus, it is imperative to support the various production branches by encouraging investment, renewing and improving equipment to raise profitability and further enhance its performance based on the state’s endeavor to diversify the economy, and boost the quality to achieve international competition in an environment characterized by globalization of markets, technological development, intertwining relationships, multiplicity of actors, rising opportunities, multiplying risks and volatility,” said the Minister in a speech delivered on the occasion of the opening of the National Agriculture Conference, organized at the Palace of Nations, and placed under the theme “Agriculture: for sustainable food security”.

And to add: “Faced with these ever-changing situations, we should, each in his field of competence, undertake, on the one hand, to meet the current and future food needs of the country, and on the other hand, to respond to the requirements of economic development. In fact, we must strive and work permanently for a food system that meets the conditions of quality and security.”

The Minister noted that the issues of food, public health and economic security are of utmost importance as they are related to the ability to meet the national demand for food.

“We all remember the global health crisis caused by Covid-19 and its repercussions, in the year 2021, when the prices of raw materials increased in international stock exchanges, which led to the destabilization of international trade, and the creation of a turbulent climate for institutions. This situation has led some to question the ability of international markets in the future to ensure sufficient and regular supply at reasonable prices,” he noted.

In light of this health crisis affecting the economies of countries and the various current and future geostrategic crises, the Minister underlined the need to introduce proactive mechanisms.

The Minister explained that the public authorities “pay a special attention to the food industry”, adding that huge efforts are being deployed to meet the challenges, namely; the technological qualification of institutions and their openness to innovation by achieving compatibility and coordination between research, university and industrial institutions, the creation of a framework for intersectoral consultations that allows all actors in the sector to express their concerns and take the necessary measures in a participatory manner and the evaluation and manufacturing of national raw materials, through appropriate support from the state.

In this vein, Mr. Zaghdar noted that “a lot of efforts have been made to confront these challenges, but the results are still far from the desired goals, which necessitates redoubling and intensifying efforts, and more than that, uniting forces to preserve our food security”.

“Despite the contribution of the food industry to the industrial GDP estimated at about 50 percent, as the number of establishments active in this industry is estimated at more than 31,000 establishments employing approximately 170,000 workers, this sector still resorts to imports to meet the ever-increasing domestic demand,” he further explained.

In a related context, the Minister proposed a series of structural measures with a view to giving a strong impetus to these industries, including, among others,  creating a space for dialogue, consultation and coordination through a multi-sectoral strategic steering committee for the food industry that includes professional associations, employers’ organizations, export groupings, blocs, and relevant ministerial sectors with the aim of removing obstacles faced by economic operators active in this field and finding practical solutions to them in order to raise the integration rate of the national product.

And to add, “the establishment of the Technical Center for Food Industries whose main tasks are to accompany the institutions active in the food industries and ensure the quality of marketed products to protect consumer health, the preparation of technical regulations for mass-consumed food products such as juices, nectars de fruits, cheese and meat, to serve as non-tariff barriers to imports and oblige manufacturers transforming agricultural products to comply with technical and regulatory requirements in order to protect consumer health as well as the establishment of the  mechanisms for institutional consultation, through international cooperation programs, in order to value national production and encourage interdependence and coordination between the actors of the value chain from source to downstream in this sector, similar to the program to support the agricultural sector (PASA).