STORY: Algeria to become new wheat export destination?

The news that Algeria may become a new destination for biscuit wheat follows Algerian bakers attending an AHDB workshop earlier this year, and the office responsible for Algerian wheat visiting the UK for two days last month.  

A delegation from the Office Algérien Interprofessionnel des Céréales (OAIC), which is responsible for Algerian wheat imports, took part in the two-day visit, organised to assess the quality of UK wheat.

The delegates also visited a port, a farm and a grain store while in the UK, with the aim of taking them through the entire production and storage process.  

Following the , AHDB export marketing executive Dorit Cohen said: “This was an incredibly important mission as the OAIC is looking to diversify its suppliers in order to reduce its reliance on France, opening up a real opportunity for our exporters.”

She also added: “We are now finding that UK soft milling wheat is becoming well-known at the OAIC, as well as among biscuit millers.”

Algeria is one of the top six importers of all wheat types. Total wheat consumption requirements are in the region of 9Mt, of which around 6.5% is durum, consumed as couscous and semolina bread. The remainder is bread wheat for human consumption.