ALGIERS-Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad, on Monday, welcomed the role of Algerian farmers in the fight against the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic by ensuring the availability of all agricultural staples.
Speaking at the opening of the Forum on Investment in Agriculture and Agri-food, held at the International Conference Center (CIC) in Algiers under the theme “Investment, Lever for Agricultural Growth and Agri-food,” Djerad “hailed the farmers who have risen to the challenge in the midst of the pandemic.”
“We all witnessed how the agriculture sector has contributed to the fight against the pandemic by providing agricultural staples. Our farmers have been up to the task by supplying all national markets with sufficient quantities,” said the PM who chaired the opening of the Forum with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Abdelhamid Hemdani, in the presence of the Advisor to the President Abdelhafidh Allahoum, members of the Government, economic operators and experts.
“Despite exceptional conditions, we managed to make achievements with the contribution of all operators in the field,” said Djerad.
The minister recalled the important and growing contribution of the agricultural sector to the GDP with a rate exceeding 12.4%, i.e. a production value worth US$ billion dollars in 2020, against US$23 billion in 2019.
The agriculture sector has provided more than 2.5 million direct jobs, said the PM.
“The growth of the sector is a quality leap despite the difficult situation the country has gone through because of the impact of the pandemic,” he said.
