Algeria breaks ground for 100,000-tonne grain silo to boost domestic storage
Expanded capacity aims to reduce post harvest losses, enable better supply management and support milling and feed industries.
ALGERIA – Algeria has taken a step to strengthen its grain storage network with the launch of a 100,000‑tonne strategic grain silo in El Menia province.
Yacine El‑Mahdi Oualid, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, officiated the foundation stone laying on 21 February 2026, underscoring the government’s focus on improving storage infrastructure to support domestic cereal markets.
The project is part of a broader push to modernize storage infrastructure, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve the resilience of domestic grain supply chains.
The new silo is strategically located in southern Algeria to enhance collection and storage capacity in key production areas, allowing the government to better manage seasonal harvests and maintain strategic reserves.
Expanded storage also supports downstream milling and feed operations by ensuring a more consistent and high-quality supply of cereals.
Algeria embarks on ambitious grain corn cultivation program
Alongside infrastructure investment, Algeria is actively expanding grain corn (maize) cultivation to reduce dependence on imports, which currently supply much of the feed sector for poultry, dairy, and livestock industries.
The country imports maize primarily from South America and the Black Sea region, leaving feed producers exposed to market volatility.
Corn expansion is focused in southern provinces, including Adrar and Timimoun, where center-pivot irrigation and mechanized cultivation are being promoted.
During recent a visit to Timimoun, Agriculture Minister Yacine El Mahdi Oualid presented this sector as a strategic choice and ordered that resources be mobilised to secure the harvest, from the field to storage.
For him, the battle for self-sufficiency will not be won solely with land, but with a complete chain, including harvesters, dryers, transport and collection centres, capable of absorbing increasing volumes.
Algeria imports approximately 3.5 million tonnes of grain maize each year, mainly to feed poultry and keep white meat affordable.
According to USDA forecasts and industry analysis, Algeria is projected to import as much as 5 million tonnes of corn in the 2024/25 marketing year, a record level driven by feed requirements for the poultry, dairy and livestock sectors.
This places Algeria among the world’s top maize importers and the second‑largest in Africa, behind Egypt.
Annual purchasing costs for these imports have averaged about US$900 million, underlining the economic weight of maize in the country’s agricultural import bill.
However, the country has set an ambitious target, seeking to reduce the import burden by setting a target to reach 220,000 hectares of maize by 2028.
Additionally, the country recently created the National Scientific Council for Food Security, a strategic body established during the National Conference on the Modernization of the Agricultural Sector held on October 27–28, 2025, in Algiers.
The council is tasked with supporting the government’s goal of improving the agricultural sector’s resilience through scientific research and technological integration.
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