Four months after signing an agreement between the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Qatari company Baladna to implement an integrated project to produce powdered milk in Algeria worth $3.5 billion, the first phase of the project’s work begins today, Tuesday, with drilling exploratory wells in different areas of the area allocated for the project to feed the cultivation of grains and fodder needed to raise the herd of cows. The start of work was witnessed by the Wali of Adrar State, Mr. Al-Arabi Bahloul, His Excellency Mr. Abdulaziz Ali Al-Naama – Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Algeria, Mr. Kamal Mansouri – Director of the National Investment Fund, Mr. Hamid bin Saed, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Ms. Souad Asous – Director of Agricultural Investment and Real Estate at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Mr. Ali Al-Ali, representing the Qatari company Baladna, and Mr. Aidan Tynan, a member of the company’s Board of Directors, also attended.
The well drilling works aim to study the nature of groundwater and reach the optimal design of wells, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of groundwater and preserving it for the benefit of the project and future generations. Baladna also intends to use the best technologies to monitor and enhance the efficiency of groundwater use by integrating data from meteorological stations and satellite images.
Mr. Hamid Ben Saad, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated: “The smoothness and speed with which the implementation of the partnership agreement concluded between the project partners in April 2024 is evidence of the seriousness and importance that the country’s highest authorities attach to the issue of promoting investment in order to produce national needs for widely consumed materials and reduce imports. In addition to being the fruit of the distinguished partnership between Algeria and the sisterly State of Qatar, this project is also a real model for the embodiment of the strategy set by the Algerian state to enhance food security.”
The Wali of Adrar State, Mr. Al-Arabi Bahloul, commented on the launch of the project, saying: “Our Country Project will constitute a real start for the vital food sectors, as well as dairy products, making it a milestone in achieving food security, in addition to the project’s contribution to reducing the prices of locally manufactured food products, which contributes to raising and developing the national economy and reducing the import bill.”
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr. Ali Al Ali delivered a speech on behalf of Baladna Company, expressing his happiness at the start of the preliminary works for the project. He said: “This desert will be transformed into a beacon of excellence and innovation, hosting the largest integrated vertical farm in the world, with more than 270,000 heads of cows, producing about 1.7 billion liters of milk annually. We will use the latest technologies, agricultural automation, cow breeding methods and dairy industry, while adhering to the highest standards of quality and environmental sustainability.”
In this context, Baladna Company will apply the best irrigation methods such as drip irrigation and pivot irrigation, with the aim of reducing the excessive use of water during all stages of the project.
In continuation of its efforts to develop integrated mechanisms to rationalize water consumption, Baladna Company will use sensors that measure soil moisture and salinity, in order to determine the quantities of water needed for each crop.
From Doha, Mr. Ramez Al-Khayat, Chairman of Baladna Company, stressed the importance of the strategic project, saying: “This pioneering project is a new link that strengthens the bonds of cooperation and collaboration between the two brotherly countries, and is the result of our partnership with the National Investment Fund. As we witness today the launch of the first preliminary steps of the project, we emphasize its strategic importance to the company, as we transfer our expertise and leadership in the dairy and dairy products production sector through it, embodying the vision of the Algerian government to achieve self-sufficiency.”
Earlier this year, Baladna Company announced that it had signed an agreement with the Algerian government, represented by the National Investment Fund, to implement the project, which is expected to cover 50% of Algeria’s need for dried milk. It is a three-stage project, the first of which is reclaiming farms for fodder, then establishing a farm to raise a herd of cows, and then establishing a factory to produce dried milk, to reduce Algeria’s dependence on importing most of its needs for dried milk.
This is in addition to the pioneering project’s ability to provide more than 5,000 job opportunities, contribute to increasing local production of red meat, and localize milk production, leading to self-sufficiency.