(Ecofin Agency) - At the end of the first half of 2017, Algeria’s food imports bill amounted to $4.44 billion, up 9.6% as compared to the year before ($4.05 billion), Reuters reported.

The surge was mainly driven by higher imports of wheat and its derivative products (flour and semolina). Indeed, these stood at $1.47 billion (thus 33% of total food imports bill) over the period reviewed, against $1.39 billion a year earlier.

Besides wheat and its derivatives, other products also recorded an increase in imports. Amongst these, milk (+54.2%), meat (+12.2%) and dried vegetables (+8.34%).

Let it be recalled that the Algerian government, to cushion the shrinking of its foreign exchange reserves, resulting from the slump in oil prices started since 2014, has decided to stop, at the beginning of this month, importing 24 types of food and industrial items.

Algeria is the world’s third largest wheat importer, after Egypt and Indonesia.

Espoir Olodo