The Director of Agricultural Services for Tizi Ouzou, Laib Mekhlouf, officially launched the 2019-2020 labours-semailles campaign in Chaoufa, Mekla commune. The event took place at the Abdi Cherif farm, with all sector stakeholders in attendance. This year's campaign targets 8,000 hectares, with a focus on improving crop yields and quality. Mekhlouf emphasized the importance of this season, citing favorable weather conditions that may allow farmers to gain a month and avoid stress during the typically dry March and April period.
According to Mekhlouf, the CCLS de Draa Ben Khedda has a sufficient stock of 120,000 quintaux of cereal seeds, enough to meet the needs of all farmers in the wilaya. Additionally, neighboring Bouira and Boumerdès wilayas can also access this stock. The Director highlighted the novelty of this year's campaign, which includes providing training to farmers at each growth stage, aiming to enhance crop quality and quantity. This approach is expected to lead to a positive agricultural season, with projected yields of 170,000 quintaux, a 25 quintal per hectare average.
The 170,000 quintaux target represents a 30,000 quintaux increase from the previous year's harvest of 145,000 quintaux. However, Mekhlouf noted that this result is contingent upon favorable weather conditions. To support farmers, two meetings will be organized in the coming days at the best-performing farms in the wilaya. These events will enable farmers to share experiences and best practices, with the goal of improving yields.
One of the meetings will take place at the Chergui Hamid farm in Draa El Mizan, which produces 50 quintaux per hectare, double the wilaya's average. The event will bring together farmers, experts, and national institutes to discuss strategies for enhancing agricultural productivity. A similar meeting will be held at the Ait Cherif Smail farm in Fréha, which ranks second in the wilaya with a production of 40 quintaux per hectare.
In parallel, a study day on "Investment Opportunities in Agriculture in Tizi-Ouzou" will be held at the Itma de Boukhelfa. The event aims to address the challenges facing agricultural investment in the wilaya, particularly in the areas of transformation, packaging, and marketing of agricultural products. Mekhlouf identified these as key areas for improvement, highlighting the potential for investment in products such as fig de barbarie, dried figs, honey, and olive oil.
The wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou has significant potential for agricultural investment, with notable production of olive oil, ranging from 10 to 16 million liters. However, farmers face difficulties in marketing their products, which often remain stored at home. Mekhlouf stressed the need for producers to adhere to technical parameters and storage conditions to facilitate commercialization, and ultimately, to achieve labeling.
The organization of farmers into cooperatives is seen as a crucial step in optimizing investment opportunities in the wilaya. Currently, there are only 14 cooperatives operating in the region, mostly family-based and limited in scope. The goal is to establish territory-based cooperatives that can effectively manage the commercialization process, ultimately boosting agricultural production and investment in Tizi-Ouzou.
Key points
- The campaign aims to boost agricultural production, with a target of 170,000 quintaux.
- The organization of farmers into cooperatives is seen as crucial to optimizing investment opportunities.
- The wilaya has significant potential for agricultural investment, particularly in products such as olive oil.
