Algeria cancels 2,603 farmland contracts for misuse or non-use

Holders of 2,603 state farmland contracts, covering 24,958 hectares, have had them cancelled for misuse or non-use.

The National Land Office for Agriculture (ONTA) announced the cancellations in a statement on Wednesday.

The cancellations were made under law 10-03, which sets the rules for farming agricultural land that belongs to the state's private domain.

Article 29 of that law lets the General Directorate of Domains cancel a contract, on notice from ONTA, when contractual obligations are broken.

The breaches cited are diverting land from its original purpose, leaving it unused for one year, illegal leasing of land, and not paying fees for two successive years.

Before cancelling, ONTA sent 44,364 formal notices by bailiff and 29,927 formal notices through administrative channels.

ONTA has created tracking files for all agricultural contracts, whether collective or individual.

Farmland in the state's private domain is estimated at 2.8 million hectares, compared with 5.6 million hectares of private farmland. Algeria's total useful agricultural area is estimated at 8.4 million hectares.

On 8 November the Council of Ministers also ordered a new local agricultural organisation plan and a dedicated statistics service for agricultural activities.

The council also banned leaving land fallow.

The sector is regularly disrupted by supply shortages of some products, currently including potatoes.

"The state is determined to recover all unused land to give it to those who deserve it," ONTA said.