ALGERIA (19 February)
Planting of the winter cereals for harvesting from June 2003 has been completed. The crops benefited from normal to abundant rains in January, particularly in the north-eastern parts of the country. Early prospects are good provided normal weather conditions persist. Aggregate cereal outputs in 2002 were low as the crops suffered severely at planting due to the late arrival of the rains. Plantings were reduced and lower than normal yields obtained. Production of wheat was particularly affected. Wheat output in 2002 was barely half the output in 2001 and some 23 per cent below the average of the past 5 years. Production of barley, the main coarse grain, dropped by almost 38 per cent from the high level in 2001 and was well below average.
Cereal imports in marketing year 2002/03 (July/June) are expected to increase from 7.2 million tonnes in 2001/02 to some 7.6 million tonnes, as a consequence of the drop in production.