Improvement of date, chilli and potato cultivation in the provinces of Biskra and El Oued, Algeria (InnoDev/PASA)

 

In Algeria, agriculture and the agro-food industry are of great importance to the national economy as they contribute to the country's food security. In 2016 the two sectors employed almost 23% of the labour force and contributed 12% to Algeria's GDP (2% of which is accounted for by the agro-food industry).
However, the agricultural sector currently faces a dual problem: on the one hand, recourse to imports for the main agricultural products and inputs, and on the other hand, the weak performance of the production, processing and marketing systems for products destined both for the national market and for export. As part of the cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries (MADRP), the project "Programme of support for the agricultural sector, including water management, agro-industry and agricultural pollution (PASA) is being implemented in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Institute (INRAA). PASA is co-financed by the European Union and the BMZ for a period of 48 months to improve the date and chilli value chains (VC) in the Wilaya (province) of Biskra and the potato value chain in the Wilaya of El Oued.

The specific objectives of the PASA are:
1. to increase the competitiveness of economic actors in the three strategic value chains 
2. promoting governance at central and territorial level by increasing the participation of all actors and improving the flow of information.

The desired results:

  • The three value chains will be analysed (ValueLinks 2.0) and development strategies will be elaborated and implemented.
  • For each of the VC, the performance of the upstream sector, including agricultural productivity, will be improved in the target regions and job creation in the VC will be promoted.
  • For each VC, the competitiveness of downstream industrial and commercial actors will be improved and business relations with upstream actors will be encouraged.
  • Environmental issues will be integrated into planning and implementation: sustainable use of water resources, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, reduction of agro-chemical pollution, combating desertification and conservation of agro-biodiversity.
  • Knowledge on cross-cutting issues of the supported WSKs, as well as specific knowledge on individual WSKs will be improved