EU launches US$1.1M twinning project to modernize Algeria’s organic farming
A reliable certification system has therefore become essential for exporters seeking access to the European market.
ALGERIA – The European Union has launched a 24-month institutional twinning project worth €1 million (US$1.13 million) to help Algeria establish a regulatory and certification framework for organic agriculture, a key requirement for producers seeking access to the European market.
The initiative, called “Support for the Regulatory Framework Governing Organic Agriculture and Labeling,” was launched on September 23 and will benefit Algeria’s Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries (MADRP), with support from the Italian and French agriculture ministries, according to the European Commission.
According to the European Commission, institutional twinning is a technical cooperation mechanism through which public administrations receive expertise from European counterparts to strengthen capabilities, improve procedures, and align regulatory frameworks with international standards.
In Algeria, the cooperation covers two areas. The first focuses on organic agriculture and will support the development of regulations and implementing rules, clarify the responsibilities of relevant institutions, and establish inspection and certification procedures.
The project will also strengthen the capabilities of institutions that will operate Algeria’s future national system.
The second component concerns the Agricultural Quality Label (LAQ). “Five pilot sectors will receive support in product analysis, identification of their specific characteristics and definition of quality criteria,” the EU delegation in Algeria said.
“This process will lead to the participatory development of five sets of specifications for submission to the National Labeling Committee.”
In 2024, Africa exported 687,395 tons of organic agricultural products to the EU and the United States, with the EU accounting for 62.4% of that volume, according to the latest edition of The World of Organic Agriculture, published by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).
As a result, access to the European market has become more demanding since new EU organic farming regulations took effect on January 1, 2022, which strengthened inspection and certification requirements for products imported from non-EU countries.
Algeria had 4,103 hectares of organic farmland in 2024, about 0.15% of the 2.8 million hectares recorded across Africa, according to FiBL.
Its share of organic trade remains limited, with Algeria exporting 3,701 tons of organic products to the EU and the United States in 2024, about 84% of which were destined for the European market alone, according to the data.
Ultimately, a reliable certification system has therefore become essential for exporters seeking access to the European market.
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