ALGERIA – Algeria plans to cut back its staggering USD 10 billion annual food import bill, with the federal government unveiling a brand new plan centered on science, technology, and innovation to strengthen home food manufacturing.
The newest transfer noticed the creation of the National Scientific Council for Food Security, a strategic physique established through 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 federal government’s aim of bettering the agricultural sector’s resilience through scientific analysis and technological integration.
According to the Algeria Press Service (APS), the council can be chaired by Amar Azzioun, Director of the Constantine Biotechnology Research Center, and brings collectively 34 researchers and professors from agriculture-associated fields, alongside representatives from numerous ministries.
The initiative displays a decisive shift by the federal government to place science on the core of its nationwide food safety coverage.
Algeria is the second-largest importer of food in Africa after Egypt, and its dependence has deepened amid years of drought which have crippled agricultural productiveness. Declining rainfall has diminished water availability for irrigation and livestock, making native food manufacturing more and more risky.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its July 2025 report, The State of Commodity Dependence, Algeria imported almost US$10 billion price of food merchandise yearly between 2021 and 2023.
The imports are dominated by staples similar to wheat, powdered milk, sugar, and edible oils, commodities that kind the spine of every day consumption.
The newly fashioned council goals to develop homegrown options to reverse this pattern. By selling analysis in biotechnology, crop genetics, and precision agriculture, the federal government hopes to increase yields, optimize water use, and cut dependency on exterior provides.
Officials say the council may also facilitate collaboration between universities, analysis facilities, and the agricultural trade to speed up the adoption of latest applied sciences.
“Scientific research must guide our efforts toward sustainable food sovereignty,” officers stated on the convention, underscoring the federal government’s dedication to lengthy-time period agricultural transformation.
If successfully applied, the brand new technique might assist Algeria shift from an import-driven food system to one grounded in innovation and native manufacturing, making certain that science and technology grow to be key drivers of agricultural resilience.
Sign up to HERE obtain our electronic mail newsletters with the most recent information and insights from Africa and all over the world, and observe us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.