São Paulo – Algeria will have enough poultry to meet the domestic demand during Ramadan, according to information from the National Office for Livestock Feed (ONAB) director general Mohamed Betraoui published by Algerie Presse Service (APS). Ramadan is the sacred period in the Islamic religion when followers fast during the day and serve bountiful tables at sunset. It lasts for a month, and this year’s starts on April 23.
Mohamed Betraoui reported that poultry prices should remain stable during the religious period and not go beyond DZD 250 (USD 2). He said that the stability will be assured by the country’s abundant production. The measures taken to assure the food supply due to COVID-19 concerns will help the country have enough poultry for consumption in Ramadan.
Algeria forbade the exports of staple goods such as poultry, so the entire production was directed to the domestic market. Therefore, the Arab African country stopped exporting 200,000 tonnes of poultry to Egypt and 600,000 hatching eggs to Libya, APS reported.
To deal with COVID-19, the country has taken measures to store the exceeding food production, Betraoui reported. In the case of poultry, due to the closure of restaurants and establishments that used to serve the product to clients, the surplus was taken up by ONAB to avoid losses for the farmers. Quantities will be distributed in 45 selling points across the country, thus cutting out the middlemen. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Algeria has 1,983 cases of COVID-19 and 313 deaths.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
