As a cornerstone of national agricultural output, Algeria’s date industry underscores its strategic value through robust economic potential and export promise. Against this backdrop, Agriculture, Rural Development, and Fisheries Minister Yacine Oualid convened sector stakeholders to assess progress and map growth paths.
The minister stressed the date sector’s pivotal role in the agricultural economy, highlighting its strengths and wealth-generating power—especially via export expansion—a ministry statement released this Tuesday evening noted.
The session drew presidents of agricultural chambers from producing provinces, alongside reps from professional groups including associations, cooperatives, farmers, and exporters, with the National Agriculture Chamber president in attendance.
Encouraging data emerged: nearly 19 million date palms and hundreds of varieties ripe for export and processing.
The minister recalled dedicated agro-industrial zones set up by the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency (AAPI) across regions to transform farm products.
Professionals aired field-level challenges, from plant health and lab testing to labeling/certification, oasis restoration, and issues in storage, transport, mechanization, packaging, financing, insurance, and industry organization.
In response, Oualid outlined short- and medium-term steps: ramping up controls against palm diseases like “boufaroua” and “bayoud”; surveying mechanization needs, with local production or imports via Agrodrive coordination.
Plans include a specialized lab for agro-product testing and certification, partnering with the National Agronomic Research Institute (INRAA), to ease entry into global markets.
He urged cooperatives to streamline marketing and boost export muscle, backing their presence at international fairs.
Further initiatives target production upgrades: agricultural electricity supply, road access, fire protection, solar energy development, and well-drilling support.
Announced measures ease credit access—especially for land-title-less farmers—and simplify admin/banking for exporters to speed shipments and sharpen competitiveness.
The talks also tackled province-specific hurdles, yielding targeted fixes.