The cereal import bill (wheat, maize, barley) decreased to $416.43 million in January and February 2016 against $557.36 m during the first two months of 2015, down 25.28%, Algerian Customs told APS.
The decline also concerned the total imported volume, which hit nearly 1.97 million tons against 2.05 m t, (-3.94%), said that the Customs’ National Centre of Data Processing and Statistics (CNIS).
The import bill of wheat (soft and hard), which represented nearly 66% of the cost of grain imports in last January-February, fell to nearly $274.4 million against $377.43 m (- 27.3%), for quantities reaching 1.18 m t against 1.23 m t (-3.67%).
Regarding maize, the imports totaled nearly $112.6 m against almost $145 m (-22.32%) with a volume of 626 246.5 tons against 672 .523.4 tons (-6.88%).
The decline in import bill is driven by the fall of prices at the international markets since 2015.
The import price of soft wheat, which Algeria is a huge importer, decreased to $239 per ton in 2015 (against nearly $292 /t in 2014).
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Source: All Africa
