Algeria will import one million sheep in preparation for Eid al-Adha 2026 to support the national market. The announcement was made this Wednesday by Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb during a government meeting, where he tasked the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Fisheries with immediately taking the necessary measures to implement the President’s decision.
This marks the second consecutive year that Algeria is resorting to importing sheep ahead of Eid al-Adha to supplement shortages in the national market, but also to bolster citizens’ purchasing power by enabling them to acquire a sheep at an affordable price, thus allowing families to perform the sacrifice ritual with peace of mind.
“The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has decided to import one million sheep ahead of Eid al-Adha,” Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb announced yesterday during the government meeting.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office, Mr. Ghrieb informed government members of “the President of the Republic’s decision to support the national livestock market for Eid al-Adha by importing one million sheep.”
To this end, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Fisheries has been tasked with immediately taking the necessary measures to implement the President’s decision, the same source added. The communiqué provided no details on the price of the imported sheep or the countries from which they will come. Last year, they were mainly imported from Spain and Romania, aiming to stabilize prices amid high demand and insufficient local production.
Other items were also on the agenda of the government meeting chaired by the Prime Minister. The government examined a draft executive decree defining the procedures for apprentices to access housing in premises owned by the employer or in residences managed by public vocational training establishments.
This text aims to establish a housing mechanism for apprentices and improve their training conditions by addressing geographical distances between certain public vocational training establishments or company headquarters and the apprentices’ places of residence, the Prime Minister’s office communiqué noted. It further stated that “the government heard a presentation on the progress of the complementary programs granted by the President of the Republic for the wilayas of Khenchela, Tissemsilt, Djelfa, and Tindouf.”
The presentation highlighted the material and financial status of the programs, which show significant completion rates, as well as the main obstacles encountered in ongoing projects, with the goal of overcoming them and completing the planned operations within the set deadlines.
The government also heard a presentation on the 2024 annual report on major risks. This involves an analysis of the major risks that occurred in 2024, aspects of preparedness and response to disasters, as well as a series of recommendations aimed at reducing risks and improving and adapting the national disaster risk management system.