Algeria's import of large quantities of wheat last January was not a special measure, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Rachid Benaissa said Wednesday at El Moudjahid Daily forum. In reply to a question about information according to which Algeria would have imported one million tonnes of wheat in January and ordered 600,000 tonnes yet to be delivered, Benaissa called Algeria's purchases "regular," stressing it were not "mass purchases." Algeria is making sure to have stocks of wheat available, "through domestic production, first, then by resorting to import," he said. Algerian cereal production in 2010 reached 45 million quintals, down 27% compared with 2009, mainly due to a sharp drop of barley imports.
