During a visit to a pilot farm, the minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries was able to observe the technical progress realized to improve the efficiency of the Algerian agriculture. He was pleased with the various facilities he had the opportunity to visit. What particularly caught his interest were the seed potatoes: the farm run by Brahim Boucetta, agricultural engineer, is an exemplary model. It covers a surface area of 307 hectares of cereal crops, which record a significant yield in this region considered to be the breadbasket of the Wilaya. The farm manager has been striving for several years to improve the yield of the cereal, vegetable and fruit crops.
“I am glad to see that the managers of this pilot-farm have dedicated 100 hectares of irrigated land to the cultivation of seed potatoes,” announced the minister. “I can quite confidently say that within three years, we will be self-reliant in the production of this vital product, whose import now costs us 100 millions of dollars yearly. Thanks to the know-how of our professionals, we will produce more than 220,000 tons of seed potatoes which will largely cover our national needs and also ensure our food self-sufficiency. I would like to praise the staff of this pilot-farm and I am convinced that the agricultural sector will bring in financial revenues besides the oil industry in near future as we are free to export our agricultural products abroad.”
The minister also expressed his optimism regarding the strategic take-off of this sector which is supposed to compensate for the oil industry and ensure the country’s stability.
Source : Liberté Algerie