Cereals:
Contrary to the generally accepted ideas Algeria ensures its food self-sufficiency for the majority of the products.
However Algeria remains strongly dependent on the imports to meet its requirements out of cereals, durum wheat, common wheat. The national production covers on average 30 % of the consumption estimated at 08 million tons is approximately 350 kg per capita and per annum. This very strong cereal consumption places Algeria among the importing countries of this product.
Nevertheless the requirements in market-gardening products, fruits, vegetables, citrus fruits, red and white meats, are completely satisfied by a local production very largely surplus.
Milk:
Using very little artificial "intrants", Algerian agriculture is almost biological. Milk large-scale consumers, Algeria ensures a local production of 1.7 million liter of milk per annum which ensures a little more than 40 % of the demand for dairy products.
With an average yearly consumption of 110 liters milk, the Algerian is the large-scale consumer of the Maghreb. Annual national consumption borders the 4 billion liters whereas the national production is estimated at 1.7 billion liters in 2002 is 40 % of the needs. What explains the emergence of tens of factories specialized in the production of milk, production which was ridiculous in the past. Dried milk and the dairy products represent the second station of the agroalimentary imports from the country in front of oil and sugar.
The foodstuffs most imported apart from the cereals (23.2 %) are milks and dairy products (21.7 %), oils and greases (11.9 %), sugars and sugar refineries (11.6 %), the flour and other milled products (11.2 %). the total of the food invoice is 3.2 billion dollars US.
The objective of the Plan of revival is to increase the useful agricultural surface of more than 950 000 hectares, to create 700 000 jobs and to reach a growth rate between 8 and 10 % on average since 2004.
Wine "bio":
Formerly pride of the country, the Algerian vineyard passed from 360 000 hectares in 1962 to 50 000 hectares in 1990. But the National Office of Marketing of Wine Products (ONCV), which enjoys quasi a monopoly known the means production and marketing of the Algerian wine, decided to start again the wine pathway in 1999 and to replant 15 000 hectares in 2007 by granting financial assistances to the farmers. This pathway conceals a considerable potential.
The forecasts count on an increase of 26 % of the production with 346 000 quintals of grapes. A clearing which explains the entry in production of the 4 000 hectares vines plants in 1999 and 2000 on the one hand, by the absence of the Sirocco, hot wind which blows in the South and which drains the grape.
Land plots were reconverted on the hills of Mascara, to 300 km in the west of Algiers, in order to produce a biological wine and, to 580 km further, the type of vines of Tlemcen were selected to give birth to a vintage "of garage" in partnership with a French producer. Objective of the ONCV: to export 80 000 wine bottle "bio" and to thus test the market.
The ONCV has launched the invitations to tender on the supply of the young vines and created three companies in partnership with a Southern African counterpart. The two first will produce wine of Mascara and with Durban; the third will market the production on the African southern market and the international network of marketing except Europe. This bringing together, intended to strengthen the co-operation between Algeria and South Africa, is registered in right-hand side line of step NEPAD in order to concretize a true co-operation south-south.
In addition, the CASTEL house group, one of the world leaders of wine trade, of beer, mineral water and aerated beverages, put in production a brewery at Oued Tlelat in the west of Algeria in order to start again old marks such as Castel Beer, 33 Export… Beaufort mark will be also produced, has a keen price according to the marketing strategy of the group in Algeria the forecasts count on 1.5 million cases per annum. With this new brewery which is added has the arrival of Mehri with the Tango mark and Bavarois, the market of beer becomes a sector in full rise in Algeria. The BOISSON group of Algeria and its four manufacturing units are in the course of privatization.
CASTEL house also launched the production of a unit of aerated beverage at the end of 2002 and introduced on the market the range Coca Cola with an objective of approximately 5 million cases/year.
Many outlets exist for the foreign investors, that it is in the exploitation (the Algerian legislation authorizes the joint ventures with a local company to exploit a wine field), in the intrants (young vines, products plant health) or in equipments of wine making, the formation, the technical aid and industries associate: congestion, conditioning, distribution.
The importation in Algeria of wines, beers and spirits is conditioned with the domiciliation of the invoices and customs documents at an Algerian bank. The VAT is 17 %. alcohols, the wines and the other comparable drinks are also taxes of a right of circulation fixed according to rules' of the code of the indirect taxes. The customs duties rise to 30 % to which 48 % of provisional additional duty are added.
