Algeria’s milk queues become longer as crisis deepens

Queues have become commonplace in Algerian cities where citizens wait for long hours to receive rationed and subsidized powder-based milk.

Social media is awash with angry citizens protesting at milk shortage in the oil and gas rich country that has yet to meet its food sovereignty.

In Algeria milk is a serious issue! President Tebboune, after four years in office, failed to ensure the availability of this basic good in supermarket shelves.

He drew mockery when he said in his latest interview that his government will set up a 100,000 hectare farm to produce milk powder, not to mention pasteurized milk.

Milk is a serious issue in Algeria that the President had to raise it in a meeting with Antony Blenken last year.

“In terms of cattle, we are facing a deficiency when it comes to milk material. We are importing milk powder and we reproduce it here mixed with water,” Teboune was recorded by the media as telling US foreign secretary Blinken.

Algeria has worsened milk shortage when it curbed imports of milk powder in 2021 and has contributed through its general subsidies policy to smuggling.