Mr Sharif Amari, Adviser of the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, confirmed last week in Blida that the country needs to work on developing its citrus sector and reduce imports from abroad in order to support the national economy.
Mr Amari said this during the opening ceremony of the third edition of the technical days on citrus, where he confirmed to have a comprehensive and effective strategy to work with all partners to support the citrus industry, which in turn will contribute to the national economy and the reduction of the import of citrus fruits and their derivatives from abroad.
He said that the Ministry is working to get industrialists on board to invest in the citrus sector and create an advanced processing industry, with the creation of integrated farms that would make it possible to control the volume and quality of the raw materials needed.
Blida, where most effort will concentrate, accounts for about 40 percent of the national citrus production, but the total remains insufficient to meet the domestic needs. The total acreage devoted to citrus at national level is currently estimated at about 66 million hectares, with a production totalling 12 million quintals in 2015.
Source: akhbarelyoum.dz
