Algeria is working with Qatar’s Baladna to achieve self-sufficiency in its milk and dairy sectors, the country’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mohamed Abdel Hafeez Hani told a delegation of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) during its recent visit to the country.
The QBA delegation was headed by its Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani and was comprised of QBA members Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Thani, Moataz Al Khayyat, Sheikh Nayef bin Eid Al Thani, and Rashid Al Mansouri, besides Al Rayan Group for Tourism and Investment CEO Tariq Al Sayed. The meeting, which drew the participation of Algerian agricultural ministry officials, was also headed Qatar’s Ambassador to Algeria HE Abdulaziz Ali Ahmed Al Naama.
The two sides discussed investment opportunities in Algeria and ways to develop partnerships between Algerian and Qatari investors.
Addressing the delegates, Algerian minister Hani said grain and diary sectors were a priority for the government as the country was making great efforts to raise their production capacities.
He said Algeria was looking at agricultural achievements made by desert countries to build its capabilities, especially in strategic agricultural products.
At the beginning of the meeting, the minister reviewed the strategy adopted by the sector aimed at developing agriculture in Algeria, highlighting the incentives provided to national and foreign businessmen to invest in the production and transformation of products of wide consumption such as milk, cereals, fodder, dry legumes, and industrial crops, especially sugar and oil.
The minister stressed that Algeria has sufficient stocks of grain until the end of the current year. It will not be affected by changes taking place at the global level, he added.
For his part, QBA’s Sheikh Faisal said the bilateral relations between Qatar and Algeria are solid and that there is great interest from the Qatari businessmen to invest in Algeria, whether in tourism, real estate, agriculture and other productive sectors. QBA Chairman indicated that Algeria has huge potentials and is a promising market, especially in its African depth and its proximity to its European surroundings.
Sheikh Faisal also spoke about his own experience as an investor in Algeria, focusing on the importance of the Algerian market and the great natural and economic potentials of Algeria, in addition to the presence of vast and fertile lands of interest to investors in the agricultural field, stressing the keenness of Qatari businessmen to discuss the cooperation and investment opportunities in both countries to achieve mutual benefit
For his part, Ambassador Abdelaziz Al Naama expressed the readiness of Qatari businessmen to invest in agriculture in Algeria and to exchange expertise with their Algerian counterparts.