The Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announces new prospects for foreign investments in strategic crops, as part of the « green corridor » program. This initiative aims to facilitate agricultural investment in the southern wilayas (provinces) of the country.
Tefiani Wahid, director of land organization and development at the ministry, revealed during an interview on national radio that several major projects are currently under consideration. Some are already underway and are seeking to expand their areas to finalize their objectives.
The Office for the Development of Industrial Agriculture in Saharan Lands (ODAS) plans to launch new investment portfolios. These will offer economic operators areas to develop in various southern wilayas, including recovered spaces that were not exploited in previous initiatives.
Since 2021, four investment portfolios have been set up via ODAS’s digital platform. This system has made 54 areas available for development, covering nearly 460,000 hectares spread across 9 southern wilayas. In total, 431 investors have benefited from these opportunities.
The ministry is now seeking to optimize the productivity of these operations, many of which have not yet started production. To this end, national meetings with investors are being organized to identify and resolve problems encountered in the field.
The main obstacles reported concern access to water resources, agricultural electricity, and the opening of tracks. The authorities assure that they are addressing these issues. A new procedure was notably adopted following a meeting at the Ministry of Energy and Mines: the spacing between wells has been reduced from 1200 to 800/600 meters, which should increase the actually usable surface of each plot by 50 to 60%.
Regarding agricultural electricity, the majority of farms are located close to connection points, thus facilitating their connection to the electrical grid. Some investors have even taken the initiative to solve this problem on their own.
The ministry plans to organize more periodic meetings with investors who have benefited from agricultural land under the concession right with ODAS. The objective is to monitor the progress of projects and remove persistent obstacles.
It is reminded that the State reserves the right to reclaim agricultural lands that have not been developed despite the favorable conditions offered, in order to reassign them to investors more capable of exploiting them.
Compliance with the specifications is paramount. Operators are not allowed to change the activity of their farm to a non-strategic sector or to build on the land without prior approval from the Ministry of Agriculture.
This initiative is part of a broader desire to diversify the Algerian economy, traditionally dependent on hydrocarbons, by developing the agricultural sector. The emphasis on strategic crops aims to strengthen the country’s food security while creating new economic opportunities in the Saharan regions.
The success of this program will depend on the authorities’ ability to overcome the logistical and environmental challenges specific to agriculture in arid zones, while ensuring rigorous monitoring of projects to guarantee their long-term viability. The involvement of foreign investors could bring valuable technologies and know-how to optimize the use of scarce resources, particularly water.
This agricultural development strategy in southern Algeria represents a crucial issue for the country’s economic and social future, with potential implications for local employment, land use planning, and the fight against desertification.
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