Bilateral Meeting between the FAO Director General and H.E. Youcef Cherfa, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of Algeria

Algiers - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met with H.E. Youcef Cherfa, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of Algeria during his official visit to the country. 

The Minister welcomed the Director-General to Algeria and emphasized the importance of the agriculture sector to the economic growth of Algeria and job creation. The Minister further provided an overview of the ongoing efforts to enhance self-sufficiency, improve food safety and increase agricultural exports, emphasizing that self-sufficiency became an important priority following the recent disruptions of food supply chains. The Minister also highlighted his Ministry’s role in improving livelihoods in rural areas through the provision of services and enhancing rural infrastructure and agriculture productivity. 

The Director-General appreciated the ongoing cooperation with Algeria building on the country’s comparative advantages in the agriculture and fisheries sectors. He proceeded to stress that transforming agrifood systems requires working in a holistic way that supports farmers through the provision of high-quality seeds and fertilizers, rural infrastructure, suitable technology, and conducive legislation. The Director-General noted that FAO was supporting the development of Algeria’s National Food Security Strategy, as well as the launch of the General Agricultural Census.

The Minister referred to the importance Algeria attaches to supporting African countries through South-South Cooperation, working through the Algerian Agency for International Cooperation, Solidarity and Development. The Minister urged FAO to continue to support Members in sharing experiences in agrifood systems, as well as addressing the impacts of the climate crisis on the agriculture sector through initiatives such as the Green Dam.

Finally, the Minister expressed his satisfaction with the successful Regional Ministerial Conference recently concluded and thanked the Director-General for his vision of transforming agrifood systems in the region, and beyond.

The Director-General appreciated Algeria's efforts and role in supporting food security and sustainable development in the region, including its ongoing engagement in African countries through South-South Cooperation and reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to continue supporting Algeria in transforming its agrifood systems.

The pair agreed to continue collaborating through relevant bodies such as the FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region hosted in Algeria, among others.