S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The coronavirus pandemic is affecting the routine of Algerians and the economy of the Arab country. Algeria, one of Africa\u2019s ten largest economies, has announced measures to facilitate the import of raw materials to manufacture protection equipment against the virus, called for the population to consume alternative foodstuffs and authorized the direct sale of floor from the mills to the population to facilitate supply. A group in the country has announced the production of chloroquine.<\/p>\n
The information was published by Alg\u00e9rie Presse Service <\/em>(APS). The last available data report 986 cases of coronavirus, including 83 deaths, in Algeria. The Ministry of Industry and Mines of Algeria, Ferhat Ait Ali Braham, has announced exceptional customs and banking measures concerning imports of raw materials for products such as disinfectants and other cleaning items, masks, and protection clothes.<\/p>\n He said that public industries are taking measures to manage this sensitive period aiming at supplying the domestic market with chemical and pharmaceutical products needed to deal with the pandemic, as well as food staples. The ministry said that it\u2019s not possible to force the private sector to work at a loss, but the public sector can make sacrifices.<\/p>\n To deal with the pandemic, the country\u2019s industries are producing 80,000 to 90,000 surgical mask a day, and the disinfectant production capacity in the country has been increased. Algeria made an order of 100 million surgical mask from China, which are expected to arrive in three days, as Algeria\u2019s president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said to the press.<\/p>\n Algerian group Saidal reported that it will start producing chloroquine, a medicine used in the malaria treatment that has been used in severe coronavirus patients in some countries but still isn\u2019t officially recommended as a solution to the disease. APS reported that Algeria has now a chloroquine stock that allows for the treatment of 200,000 Algerians.<\/p>\n Saidal pharmaceutical company, Agrovid agroindustry, Getex textile company, Algeria Chemical Specialties (ACS), and Divindus industrial conglomerate were called forth to adapt its products and increase production capacity. Getex, for example, was convoked to produce masks.<\/p>\n The Algerian government reported that the state will keep supporting the population\u2019s access to food staples for accessible prices, despite the oil prices decline and the world economic crisis caused by the pandemic. According to the ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ch\u00e9rif Omari, the country has foreign exchange reserves at USD 60 billion, which should allow it to manage the situation.<\/p>\n But the ministry recommended that the population reconnects to the eating habits of their ancestors and avoid wasting food. Omari said that Algerians have become large consumers of common wheat but used to consume hard wheat and barley. He recommends that the latter two are used to bake whole bred. Algeria has a strong incentive policy for domestic production and reducing imports and has reached self-sufficiency in products such as hard wheat.<\/p>\n Head of the Algerian Consumer Protection Organization, Mustapha Zebdi, told APS that retail in several provinces have discontinued supply, especially in products such as semolina and flour. Agrovid group, which produces both items but can\u2019t supply the entire market on its own, has convoked Algeria-based private mills to help. The government has authorized the opening of direct sale channels between mills and consumers.<\/p>\n Last Tuesday, Algerian president said that the country has the capacity to face COVID-19 in the material, financial and organization sense. He said that the country was one of the first to take measures against the spread of the pandemic, such as closing schools, universities and stadiums; repatriating Algerians to put them in quarantine; and other measures.<\/p>\n He said that the current problem is not money. Tebboune believes that Algerian doctors are among the world\u2019s best and that the country has every mean to deal with the pandemic. Algeria has taken other measures such as releasing benefits to healthcare professionals, which can be extended to other categories. According to Tebboune, the country is on the side of companies and artisans and do whatever it can to help small- and medium-sized companies.<\/p>\n Sonatrach group, Algeria\u2019s state-owned oil and gas company, has announced it will cut its 2020 budget by 50% and delay projects that are not urgent due to coronavirus. The group\u2019s CEO Toufik Hakkar said every expense that won\u2019t affect future production are being cut and that a unit was implemented in the company to monitor the market evolution and determine quick actions under the circumstances.<\/p>\n Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n