Algeria invests over US$6M for a 100,000 ton storage silo

ALGERIA – Algeria has launched the construction of 850 million dinars (US$6.3 million) storage silo in the Wilaya of Biskra in a strategic effort to strengthen the country’s storage infrastructure.

With a storage capacity of 100,000 tons of cereals, the storage facility was officially commissioned by Youcef Cherfa, Minister of Agriculture on February 5, 2025. 

Speaking during the ceremony, Cherfa reiterated that the new investment is in line with the Algerian government’s ambition to increase the country’s grain storage capacity to 9 million tonnes over time, compared to the current level of 4 million tonnes.

As part of this objective, the government launched a program in July 2024 to build 30 silos and 350 local centers across the country.

For Algeria, strengthening storage capacities should help to better absorb agricultural surpluses, improve harvest management and secure supplies in the face of fluctuations in world market supply, especially since the country is a net importer of cereals.

According to FAO data, Algeria has posted an average consumption of 17.1 million tonnes of cereals between 2020 and 2023, 75% of which comes from imports. Furthermore, the outlook for the Algerian market suggests an increase in cereal imports in the coming years.

According to the latest forecasts from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Algerian corn imports should, for example, reach 5 million tonnes in 2024/2025, a record level compared to an annual average of 4 million tonnes per year recorded since 2020.

The American organization attributes this dynamic to the growth in demand for corn for animal feed in the poultry industry as well as in the beef and dairy sectors.

In 2023, the country began construction work on a cereal storage complex with an estimated capacity of 20,000.

This construction marked the relaunch of the national program to strengthen grain storage capacity by increasing the country’s grain storage capacity to 9 million tons by the end of 2025, the implementation of which had been on hold since 2015.

In addition the government has also been freeing up state land to enhance local wheat production. In April of 2023, the Algerian National Agricultural Land Office (ONTA) announced plans to distribute more than 200,000 hectares of agricultural land to private investors in a bid to boost wheat production.

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