The state-run news agency APS recently reported that Algeria has banned the export of food items such as sugar, vegetable oil, pasta, semolina, and wheat derivatives. A meeting of the Council of Ministers led to the declaration.

A presidential decree prohibits Algerian commercial operators from exporting food products made with imported raw materials and imposes legal repercussions if they do. A bill criminalizing the shipment of non-locally produced goods was passed at Sunday’s cabinet meeting. A variety of incentives were also provided to farmers who supplied the state’s strategic store of wheat and grains. Imports of frozen meat are still forbidden, and eating meat produced locally is encouraged.

The Minister of Agriculture, Abdel Hafeez Hani, said that despite fears of a food supply crisis due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the country has enough grain supplies to last until the end of the current year. A government official said that it had taken every effort to secure sufficient supplies of grain on the local market to satisfy the needs of the entire population, adding, “the worldwide market for this material is under intense pressure.” Algeria consumes between 9 and 12 million tons of soft and hard wheat each year. There is a small amount of wheat from Canada, but most of it comes from other countries, especially France. Wheat prices are increasing rapidly due to the situation in Ukraine. 

Read more here