By Zeghouane. O & Benbelkacem.A

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Algérian Democratique and Popular Républic

Wheat for Food Security in Africa October 8 – 12, 2012, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Current state and trends of

wheat production in Algeria

• Total area is 2.38 millions Km²

(2 millions of desert)

• 3.4 % is arable land, less than

one-fifth is cultivated though

only about 8.6 million hectares,

or 3.5% of its total area is used

for agricultural production.

• Most agricultural activities are

in the north of the country.

The dominant crops are cereals,

forages, food legumes and

potatoes.

Climate is :

• Mediterranean type all over the north part of the

country (hot summers and mild humid winters),

• Semi-arid on the high plateaus

• Desertic once we overpass the saharian atlas.

There are five agro-ecological

zones:

• Sahel-type area along the

Mediterranean coast;

• Sub-littoral plains;

• Interior plains;

• High plateaus and the steppe

region;

• Sahara desert, with oases.

Cereals are the predominant

crops grown by Algerian

farmers, covering annually 3 to

3.5 million hectares, nearly 40%

of Algeria’s total agricultural

land and 2.5 million as fallow.

Irrigated cereals cover about

245,000 hectares.

Algeria is one of the world’s leading importers and

consumers of cereals (220 kg per capita per year) which

is used for making couscous, pasta, local bread.

Bread wheat is largely used for bread (baguette) and for

cookies.

Cereal production Cropping

season

Production

(t)

Wheat

rate (%)

2001/2002 1 951 410 77

2002/2003 4 264 374 70

2003/2004 4 031 300 68

2004/2005 3 525 046 69

2005/2006 4 012 810 67

2006/2007 3 597 858 65

2007/2008 1 533 614 75

2001/2008 3 196 743 71

2008/2009 6 120 000 56

2009/2010 4 807 200 65

2010/2011 4 245 700 69

2011/2012 5 134 006 74

2009/2012 5 076 726 61

Mean yield

evolution

2000/01 = 1,2 t/ha

2008/09 = 1,7 t/ha

2011/12 = 2,0 t/ha

Pick yields(t/ha) Wilaya Species Average yield Pick yields

Aïn-Defla Durum 2,8 8

Relizane Blé dur 1,7 7,3

El-Tarf Bread wheat 2,7 6,8

El-Tarf Durum 2,2 6,5

Guelma Durum 2,5 6,5

Bouira Durum 2,2 6,0

Skikda Durum 2,0 6,0

S. Bel Abbés Durum 1,6 5,8

A. Temouchent Durum 1,8 5,8

Breeding activities

The Algerian wheat program has a close bilateral

relationship with the joint CIMMYT/ICARDA.

As a result, most of the released varieties until the mid

90’s were derived from CIMMYT/ICARDA germplasm.

Since 1995, the germplasm movement to Algeria has

slowed down, reflecting the improved capacity of the

national breeding program through human resource

development efforts.

Constraints to wheat production

Semi arid environments is predominating with 43% of total

cereal acreage.

Yields are low due to several

abiotic and biotic stresses.

- Scarcity and poor quality of

underground water resources,

- low and erratic rainfall,

- drought recurrence,

- high and low temperatures and

salinity are the key constraints

to agricultural production.

Technical constraints such as non respect of technical itinerary:

• Abusing use of disc harrow and bad seedbed preparation,

• Hand sowing or misuse of seed drill and use of low quality seed

• Low application of fertilizers and weed control.

• machinery adjustment, harvest losses are also causing problems.

New material selected during the yellow

rust epidemic of 2004 has shown a real

potential of resistance. Out of this, four

new cultivars (Tiddis, Boumerzoug,

Akhamokh and Massine) have been

released (2010-2011) and are being

dispatched to high performing

farmers for seed increase.

With the collaboration with the

CIMMYT/ICARDA we are releasing a new

wheat cultivar (Yacine) with high

resistance to Ug99 (2011).

Seed production program objectives

• Improve the rate of certified seed use

• Constitution of stocks

• Introduction of the new varieties

Seed availability :

2012 : 200 000 tons

2013 : 300 000 tons

2014 : 400 000 tons

Stock s : 20%.

Cereal varieties produced by farmers

Species Number of

varieties

Durum wheat 19

Bread wheat 10

Barley 6

Oat 5

Triticale 1

Total 41

Main agricultural policies

Algeria has actually a very favorable macro-economic

financial situation due mainly to the application of the structural adjustment

program of the government that permitted a

resettlement of the large economic equilibrium in a short and medium term.

Main agricultural policies

• The national plan of agricultural development (PNDA) started ten years ago by a plan in favor of cereal intensification using most appropriate farming systems in the favorable areas of northern Algeria. A battery of assistance means to farmers was allowed to improve production levels and reduce fallow fields.

• Several mechanisms were adopted by stakeholders as policies called the policy of the renewal agricultural & rural (PRAR) to put in concrete form measures such as: Different credits with no interest, loans, subsidies, acquiring machinery with ease, irrigation equipments, technical and financial supports, insurance of a minimum price, bonus for seed growers, adoption of an appropriate technical itinerary…

Future plans for wheat production

Maintain assistance to farmers by allowing subsidies (credits,

loans, leasing …),

Assist them with a good technical itinerary with all required

inputs.

Develop irrigation (an objective of 1 Million hectares for

2014).

Modernizing machinery.

Use an efficient transfer of technology and above all focus

more on human resource development (capacity building).

Thank you for

your attention