Algeria’s Province Wants to Promote Hi-tech Agriculture with Vietnam

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Several businesses in Algeria’s Biskra province have expressed their interest in finding partners in Vietnam for cooperation in date processing and export, as well as in the import of processed coconut products and other agricultural and food items with Halal certificate from Vietnam, VNA reported.

Representatives of local firms had a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Tran Quoc Khanh, as part of his recent visit to the province.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Tran Quoc Khanh (right) visits the Novaprim company's vegetable greenhouse in Biskra. Photo: VNA

About 450 kilometers southeast of Algiers capital, Biskra is an important stop on the trans-Saharan trade routes. The Algerian Government is actively promoting investment in the food processing industry in this province, with the aim of establishing a seed development institute there.

Director of the Biskra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Tarek Abderrahman stated that local businesses are interested in collaborating on the processing of agricultural products for export, particularly those that meet Halal standards.

A representative of Novaprim, a subsidiary of Tahraoui Group, specializes in growing and producing fresh fruits and vegetables according to Global Gap international standards, as well as sorting and packaging these products to serve domestic and export needs. The company also wants to cooperate with Vietnamese experts and businesses with experience and skills in the field of growing fruits and vegetables in greenhouses as well as in the field of researching and cultivating new varieties of seedlings.

According to Abderrahman, the date industry in Algeria represents a key pillar of the agricultural economy, especially in the Sahara region. In 2024, the country's date exports have surpassed USD 100 million. Despite exporting this product to over 60 countries, Algeria still faces significant logistics challenges, including the efficient management of the cold chain, to maintain the highest quality of dates when they reach consumers.

Ambassador Khanh noted that there is significant potential for cooperation between Vietnam and Algeria. According to him, Vietnam has strengths in various sectors that are of great interest to Algeria, but the existing cooperation mechanisms between the two governments have not been fully aligned, resulting in certain limitations. This has made it difficult for Vietnamese businesses to enter the Algerian market and vice versa, Khanh said.

The diplomat said the greatest challenge for Vietnamese businesses is the tariff barrier imposed by Algeria to protect its domestic economy, while issues related to payment mechanisms, such as capital contributions, disbursement processes, and investment guarantees, also make many Vietnamese businesses cautious about investing in this market.

In the coming time, the embassy plans to propose to relevant Vietnamese authorities the introduction of a locality with similar potential to Biskra, which is interested in cooperating on high-tech agricultural product processing, to promote local-level cooperation and pave the way for establishing a sister-city relationship, he added.

Since Vietnam and Algeria set up their diplomatic relations in 1962, their relationship has been developing strongly, with two-way trade reaching USD 250 million in 2023, up 60% over 2022.

On this occasion, the delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy introduced to businesses on the other side an overview of the economy, culture, tourism, key products as well as some Halal products of Vietnamese businesses.

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