la décision du président de la République d’approfondir l’opération saluée comme « stratégique »
Summary:
During a recent Council of Ministers meeting in Algeria, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune emphasized the crucial role of an enhanced General Agricultural Census (RGA) in shaping the future of the agricultural sector and the national economy. Experts hailed this recommendation as a strategic move, emphasizing that an improved RGA would facilitate better decision-making, modernization of agriculture, and enhance food security.
President Tebboune instructed the Minister of Agriculture to expand the RGA to cover all agricultural sectors, detailing livestock categories, geographic production distribution, irrigation areas, and the variety of fruit trees, particularly olives and palms. Agro-economist Pr. Ali Daoudi noted that a comprehensive census improves data quality, enabling more effective analysis and decisions from researchers and policymakers. He contrasted the nationwide RGA with smaller-scale surveys, asserting the nationwide approach would enhance the understanding of agricultural dynamics across regions.
For instance, mapping sheep populations by region would aid in identifying areas of high concentration, thereby streamlining sectoral analyses. Such data would also benefit related sectors such as Hydraulics, Industry, and Commerce by allowing better anticipation of regional infrastructure needs for storage and distribution.
Expert Pr. Sami Assassi described the presidential recommendation as "decisive" for reinforcing national food security strategies. He highlighted that a detailed inventory of production, sectors, and cultivated areas, employing modern technologies like drones and satellite imagery, is essential for a cohesive understanding of agricultural conditions. He pointed out that food security hinges on increasing productivity and expanding cultivable land, particularly in southern Algeria, which necessitates reliable and updated agricultural data to attract significant investors.
Agro-ecologist Fatoum Lakhdari emphasized the necessity of understanding actual production capacities to identify gaps needed to achieve self-sufficiency goals. She advocated for the establishment of agricultural observatories in major production zones to act as early warning systems for monitoring yields, water salinity, soil erosion, and the broader impacts of climate change.
This collective perspective underlines the urgency and potential benefits of enhancing the RGA, proposing that a well-researched, detailed approach can radically improve Algeria’s agricultural output and food security infrastructure.
Rewritten Content:
In Alger, the recommendation made by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Monday to enhance the General Agricultural Census (RGA) has drawn praise from various experts who consider it a "strategic" decision vital for the future of both the agricultural sector and the national economy.
At the Council of Ministers meeting that he presided over, President Tebboune highlighted the RGA’s critical importance for optimal decision-making, modernizing agriculture, and strengthening its contribution to food security. He directed the Minister of Agriculture to conduct a more detailed RGA encompassing all agricultural sectors, including livestock categorizations, geographical production distributions, irrigation areas, and detailed counts of fruit trees by variety, especially olives and palms.
Pr. Ali Daoudi, an agro-economist and researcher at the National School of Agronomy in Algiers, elaborated that a comprehensive census of agricultural production enhances data quality. This improvement facilitates better data processing, distribution, and exploitation by researchers and decision-makers. He noted that unlike limited geographical field surveys, the RGA presents a comprehensive national database, thus allowing for a deeper understanding of agricultural dynamics across Algeria’s various regions.
Using the sheep sector as a case in point, Daoudi argued for the significance of a detailed mapping of the livestock population by region and municipality, which would enable the identification of areas with high concentrations. This would subsequently ease the process of sectoral analysis. He pointed out that the data generated from the RGA could also greatly benefit other sectors such as Hydraulics, Industry, and Commerce. For instance, the Ministry of Commerce would be equipped to anticipate regional storage and distribution infrastructure needs, while the industrial sector could develop agro-industrial facilities aligned with each region’s agricultural potential.
Equally supportive was Pr. Sami Assassi, an expert in agro-economics, who deemed the president’s recommendation "decisive" for bolstering the national food security strategy. He underscored that a detailed inventory encompassing production types, livestock counts, and cultivated land, utilizing modern technologies like drones and satellite imaging, is vital for a clear and unified understanding of agricultural state.
Assassi further explained that food security relies significantly on two main pillars: increasing productivity and expanding cultivated areas, particularly in the southern regions of the country. To entice major investors, it is critical to provide them with accurate and current data regarding the agricultural potential and existing infrastructure.
Echoing this sentiment, agro-ecologist Fatoum Lakhdari asserted that this initiative would allow for a clearer understanding of actual production capacities and help pinpoint deficiencies needed to meet self-sufficiency targets. "Claiming self-sufficiency is impossible without precise knowledge of what we cultivate and produce. We must unveil our strengths and weaknesses," she insisted.
Lakhdari also recommended the establishment of agricultural observatories in significant production areas. These observatories, managed by professionals in agronomy, hydraulics, and animal husbandry, would serve as early warning systems to monitor crop yields, water salinity, soil erosion, and the broader effects of climate change.
This concerted perspective emphasizes the critical nature of enhancing the RGA, demonstrating that a well-informed and detailed approach may substantially elevate Algeria’s agricultural productivity and fortify its food security framework.
