Zuhair Fedsi is one of the first young people to break into this agricultural field, and he heads a local association of banana producers.
In order to find out the success story of these agricultural experiments, Fedsi, head of the Professional Association of Banana Producers in Jijel Governorate, east of Algeria, confirmed that “planting banana seedlings is very popular with young investors, and the bet is to expand this cultivation after its revival.”
He added in an interview with “Sky News Arabia” that his first steps in this field were 4 years ago, as “the price of bananas was very high in the market, and at that time we thought about reviving this cultivation on the grounds that it was necessary to reduce the import bill and create job opportunities.” “.
And to confirm that the experience of growing bananas is positive, the source stated that “with the continuation of production in the recent period, its price has known a decrease in the markets, especially since producers control the prices of fruits destined for the market, which is 40 dinars less compared to the importer.”
Creation of an agricultural cooperative
To continue the successful experience of cultivating this tropical fruit in Algeria, Fedsi called for expanding its activity from 80 to 100 thousand hectares in the Jijel governorate.
He added, “We call on the authorities, who have stood by us since the beginning of our projects, through various forms of financial support, to allocate 50 hectares in one area for the benefit of young investors in this field.”
The spokesman also stressed the provision of more “cooling rooms” for banana ripening in order to exploit the commodity throughout the year, indicating the farmers’ readiness to establish an agricultural cooperative specialized in banana production in Jijel Governorate.
In the same context, the head of the Guidance and Training Office in the Directorate of Agriculture in Jijel Abdelali Allab said that there are 5 municipalities that know banana cultivation with 3,078 hectares of cultivated area under multi-domed greenhouses, and 1.5 hectares under ordinary greenhouses, and there are 14 investors in this Domain and waiting for 5 others to access.
Allab continued, in a statement to “Sky News Arabia”, saying: “The Directorate of Agricultural Interests guarantees technical and guidance accompaniment to all agricultural investors specialized in banana cultivation, providing them with all inputs such as chemical fertilizers and support equipment for distillation, as well as providing them with rural electricity.”
self-sufficiency goal
On the other hand, experts in the agricultural field believe that the multi-domed greenhouses provide the appropriate conditions to control the growth of bananas, especially since this fruit needs a climate closer to the tropics in which the prevailing temperature does not drop below 15 degrees Celsius and does not rise above 45.
The head of the National Union of Algerian Agricultural Engineers, Mounib Obiri, asserts that “the cultivation of bananas inside multi-domed houses allows controlling climate factors such as humidity and temperature, which makes it easier for the farmer to follow the technical path of production well.”
In his speech to “Sky News Arabia”, Obiri said, “Talk about fertilization, drip irrigation, and continuous monitoring for 12 months, the follow-up of the biological plant phase of bananas inside the greenhouse is possible and easy, especially since in this environment it is possible to monitor water, humidity, temperature and control diseases for the least cost losses and increased returns.
The head of the National Union of Agricultural Engineers suggested expanding the area of banana fruit cultivation locally at the level of 14 coastal states, noting on the other hand that “continued import would curb the development of this division.”
“If we import more than 300,000 tons of bananas, then 80 hectares of each coastal governorate at a rate of 5,000 hectares can enable us to dispense with importing these fruits for five years and achieve self-sufficiency,” the spokesman added.
Regarding the appropriate price for marketing bananas in Algeria, Obiri suggested “not less than 150 dinars per kilogram in the wholesale market so that farmers can continue production.”
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