Diplomatic tensions: Algeria excludes France from its wheat purchases

Algeria excluded France from its wheat import tenders on Wednesday October 9, according to Reuters. This decision, which comes against a backdrop of persistent diplomatic tensions, marks an important turning point in relations between the two countries.

For decades, Algeria, one of the world’s largest wheat importers, had relied on France as its main supplier. However, this dynamic changed during a recent call for tenders from the Algerian Interprofessional Cereals Office (OAIC), where, according to Reuters, anonymous sources revealed that France was excluded from the process for the first time. times in three years.

This exclusion comes in a tense diplomatic climate, particularly around the question of the Sahara. In July, France’s support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for this region, in opposition to the position of Algiers which supports the Polisario Front, intensified the crisis between the two capitals. Today, this diplomatic clash has repercussions on trade relations.

French companies were not invited to participate in this OAIC call for tenders, a gesture seen as symbolic and strategic on the part of the Algerian authorities. Even more, the international companies which took part were prohibited from offering wheat of French origin.

This exclusion could have serious consequences for France, already affected by a poor harvest this year due to bad weather, which led to a fall in wheat production to its lowest level since the 1980s. The drop in production and the uneven quality of French wheat have led to an increase in prices, favoring the competitiveness of Russian suppliers on the Algerian market.

For Paris, this sidelining raises several questions. Although French wheat would likely have been uncompetitive this year due to the low harvest, the ban on French companies participating in the process as intermediaries sets a worrying precedent. The duration of this exclusion remains unclear, but a similar case in 2021 lasted several months.

While relations between Algiers and Paris remain tense, France risks losing more market share to Russia, which benefits from advantageous climatic conditions and more stable geopolitical relations with Algeria.