ALGERIA (17 May)
Harvesting of winter cereal crops is about to start and output of wheat, the main cereal, is provisionally forecast at 2.5 million tonnes, similar to 2004 good crop and far above the average of the past five years. An above average barley output of some 1 million tonnes is also tentatively forecast.
Imports of cereals in marketing year 2005/06 (July/June) are forecast at about 6.0 million tonnes, some 771 000 tonnes more than the previous year. Wheat imports are expected to increase from the previous year by some 19 percent to 4.0 million tonnes.