Potato destocking starts amid market shortage

In a statement, the Ouled Djellal trade directorate said on Wednesday that potato destocking had started in the wilayas of Aïn Defla, Médéa, Boumerdès and Bouira.

The operation aims to deal with shortages. The directorate said the stocks had been built to regulate the market.

It invited fruit and vegetable operators to contact its offices to learn which cold rooms are concerned.

Potatoes have almost disappeared from fruit and vegetable shops since the authorities capped retail prices at 80-90 dinars (DZD) per kilogram on 1 October. TSA reported that some shopkeepers sell potatoes secretly to customers at prices well above the official price.

Several farmers in Oued Souf have announced on social media that the harvest has begun. The region covers a large part of Algeria's potato needs, with an estimated annual output of 16 million quintals.

Other areas, including Aïn Defla, Bouira, Boumerdès, Skikda and Mila, are also known for potato production.

Brahim Guendouzi, an economist, said the disappearance of potatoes from shop counters reflects the weight of middlemen in the distribution of fresh farm produce.

He said the price cap and stronger checks had discouraged people in the potato supply chain from supplying the market regularly on their own terms.

The Ministry of Agriculture put in place a regulation system based on destocking. Guendouzi said it appears outdated.

He named weak production, logistics such as transport, cold rooms and storage, and the number of middlemen as causes. Together, he said, they had created a relative shortage of the product most in demand by households.

He said the problem might ease by itself once new harvests arrive.