ALGIERS, ALGERIA — Algeria’s wheat and barley production is expected to hold steady in 2024-25, but with soil moisture below average, rain will be crucial to help farmers start planting, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

Production in 2024-25 is expected to be in line with the current market year totals of 2.7 million tonnes of wheat and 1.02 million tonnes of barley.

Total wheat area is estimated at 2 million hectares for the entire country for both the current and forecast marketing years.

Farmers were expected to start sowing the 2024-25 wheat and barley crop at the end of September, FAS said.

Cumulative precipitation for the season is the same as in 2022 but soil moisture in the Mediterranean zones is well below average. First rains have yet to arrive.

Wheat imports are estimated at 8.7 million tonnes for 2023-24 based on lower harvest and increased import demand. According to trade reports, the Algerian Office of Cereals (OAIC) continued purchases on the international market, mostly optional milling wheat (bread wheat), sourced from Russia as well as its traditional supplier base from Europe and Mercosur.

Algeria is a leading consumer of wheat in North Africa, surpassed only by Egypt. For 2023-24, wheat consumption will eclipse 11 million tonnes, and will rise just slightly in 2024-25.