The cultivation of potatoes is a major part of the agricultural industry of Algeria. The country was the 17th-largest producer of potatoes in the world in 2018. Production is centred on two regions: the Mediterranean coast and the desert around El Oued. Growing conditions in the coast are broadly conventional in earth furrows while at El Oued centre pivot irrigation predominates, with the potatoes grown in sand. Only an insignificant minority of the crop is factory-processed.
History
Potatoes have been grown in Algeria (then a French colony) since at least the late 19th century, when problems with the crop being affected by the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella, were reported. Potatoes had become a major crop by 1951 and they were exported to France. In July 1951 growers in Algeria blamed high taxes and railway freight charges for making the crop uneconomic to grow and held a three-day stoppage to attempt to pressure the French government into taking action. Exports elsewhere, such as to the United Kingdom, were hampered by a lack of harbour facilities. By the 1970s, following Algerian independence, potatoes were grown on large scale on government farms in the Mascara Province. In the 1990s the government farms were broken up among private companies and individuals, resulting in an expansion in production.
Production Algeria is a significant producer of potatoes which are the second most popular staple food in the country, after bread. In 2018 Algeria produced 4,653,322 tonnes (4,579,830 long tons) of potatoes making it the 17th greatest producer in the world and the 2nd largest in Africa (after Egypt). Production is concentrated in two regions: the coastal region around Mostaganem, Aïn Defla, Boumerdes and Bouira and the desert region centred on El Oued Province. The warm climate means that potatoes can be grown for 9 months of the year, allowing for three seasons of production. The Premiere (first) season starts January–March and harvests in May–August; the Arrière (last) season starts in August–September and harvests in December while the Primeur (early crop) is little used and only accounts for 5% of production. In general production on the coast is focused on the Premiere season while the desert region concentrates on the Arrière season. There is a gap in potato supply to market from September to December due to the gap between harvesting seasons. Seed potatoes can only be imported in January so the Arrière season relies on locally grown seed potatoes or those that have been stored. Seed potato imports are mainly from the Netherlands and largely from two companies: Agrico and ZPC. The Algerian government has attempted to support the production of local seed potatoes to reduce reliance on foreign imports and has taken measures to regulate the growing conditions of seed stock to ensure quality. Potato is the main crop requiring irrigation in Algeria and large volumes of water are used for this: agricultural irrigation accounts for 70-80% of all water use in Algeria. Much of the water used for agriculture is obtained by abstraction from wells as a charge is made for water taken from government reservoirs. Abstraction has led to a noticeable drop in ground water levels. Fertilisers are commonly used but purchases are restricted by the government as it can be made into explosives. There is a low level of mechanisation in the potato-growing sector and much harvesting is done by hand. This is a low status occupation and as a result there are often shortages of labour. Potato farmers are often members of the two main agricultural cooperatives: the Coopérative Agricole de Services des Approvisionnements (CASAB) and the Cooperative d’Agricole de Guemar.
Coastal region Potatoes in the coastal region are typically grown in fields of 3–40 hectares (7.4–98.8 acres) in size. The crop can grown in rotation with cereals or water melon but for most farmers that grow potato it forms the main crop. The main variety grown in the region is Spunta (accounting for 40% of all production) but Condor, Désirée, Fabula and Ultra are also grown. The soil of the region is heavy and preparation of the ground by tractor ploughing is required before sowing; small farms typically sow by hand but on large farms it is done mechanically. Coastal farmers also report that the heavy soil makes mechanical harvesting impossible and most harvesting is done by hand. Because labour is so cheap most irrigation is also done manually, by moving hose fed sprinklers around the fields. The soil of the region is short of organic material and, because organic fertiliser is in short supply there is a heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers. Fertiliser is typically applied two times each season.
El Oued region
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
