MBut today, it is the food crisis that is very worrying, since people in large cities and in remote areas lack almost everything, to such an extent that prices have soared and foodstuffs such as oil cooking or milk cannot be found. Some products are even prohibited from export.
Sugar, pasta, oil, semolina and all wheat derivatives are now banned for export, says a statement from the Algerian Council of Ministers.
The Minister of Justice has even declared that he will draw up a bill to penalize the export of these products which will soon be considered as “an act of sabotage of the national economy”.
This shows the seriousness of the food situation. So much so that citizens are sometimes deprived of the bare minimum, since for certain products, it is necessary to coax sellers to get a little, as some NGOs claim.
On another level, it is wheat stocks that cast doubt and fear in Algeria. The Algerian press agency, quoting President Tebboune, affirms in this regard that “the quantities of wheat imported by the country represented only 20% of national needs for an overall bill of approximately 1.3 billion dollars”.
Still according to the latter, the president would thus like to see a corresponding increase in national production. How ? This is the great unknown.
But there is even worse, since this crisis has become systemic over the months. In fact, to deal with the risks of a break or a drop in imports from Ukraine and Russia, the authorities have specified that they want to encourage the supply of the “State strategic stock of durum and common wheat” as well as in legumes. Incentives could take the form of loans or fertilizers.
On another level, it should be noted that the import of frozen meat remains strictly prohibited to encourage the consumption of local meat. Still have to find it.
Abdelhak Najib, journalist writer
Faced with all these problems, it must be said that Algeria is going through a serious economic crisis, reinforced by an acute food crisis which is hitting the population hard.
Prices are exploding as the government even thinks of abandoning the principle of subsidized basic necessities. This threatens to inflame the country.