In 2023, Russia increased the volume of exports of agricultural products to Algeria by 20%. Over the past 5 years, the indicator has increased almost 5 times. The volume of supplies to the North African country exceeded 2.7 million tons – 81% more than in 2022.
The key product imported by Algeria is wheat, shipments of which began in mid-2021 after a 3-year hiatus. By the end of 2023, the Republic received 2.5 million tons of cereals, which is 91% more than the previous year. Thanks to this dynamic, Algeria has risen to the 4th place among the leading buyers of Russian wheat after Turkey, Egypt and Bangladesh.
Algeria also ranks 2nd among the largest importers of Russian soybean oil. Product deliveries from Russia to the Republic last year decreased by 5.7%, to 180 thousand tons, and export revenue – by 29%. At the same time, purchases of sunflower oil increased by 2.8 times, up to 11 thousand tons, in volume and 2.2 times in value.
In November, after a 2.5-year break, barley exports to Algeria resumed. In November and December 2023, the country purchased 57 thousand tons of barley.
Algeria has already become a stable trading partner for Russian grain exporters, which was facilitated by the removal of phytosanitary barriers. If Algeria imports 8-8.5 million tons of wheat annually, then Russia supplied 2.1 million tons in the 2022/23 season (or 26% of all imports).
Currently, Russia provides about 15% of Algeria's vegetable oil imports, mainly soy. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the products of the Russian agriculture currently supplied to Algeria are mainly raw materials.
Also, since November 2023, Algeria has begun to purchase powdered milk in Russia. Also among the suppliers of milk powder to the Algerian market are such leading world producers as Uruguay, Argentina, the EU, New Zealand, however, from the point of view of price indicators, Russian milk powder can be quite competitive.
According to the Russian Federal Center Agroexport, in the future, Russian exports of agricultural products to Algeria may exceed $ 1.5 billion. As noted at the business mission of Russian exporters to Algeria, held in November 2023, along with grain, Russia is ready to increase supplies of dairy and meat products, sunflower and rapeseed oil, fish and seafood, and food processing products.
