Mostaganem Achieves Record Potato Harvest for 2024-2025 Agricultural Season
The Mostaganem province has reported a “record” yield for early and seasonal potato harvests in the 2024-2025 agricultural campaign, local authorities announced on Tuesday.
According to the same source, harvesting began in late March and is still ongoing, with yields exceeding 400 quintals per hectare, particularly in the fields and agricultural operations of the Bouguirat plateau.
On Tuesday, farmers and producers in the region intensified their harvesting efforts following recent disturbances. Over the past two days, some speculators and instigators had attempted to discourage them from supplying local and regional markets by citing falling prices and the abundance of the widely consumed crop.
To date, approximately 2,300 hectares have been harvested, representing 23% of the total planted area of 10,012 hectares, according to the local agricultural services.
The quantities sold to various local and regional markets across 25 provinces have surpassed 874,000 quintals, and forecasts indicate a total production of over 3.2 million quintals by the end of the harvest season in June.
The harvest of potatoes designated for seed multiplication will begin in May. A total of 114 hectares have been planted for this purpose, with an expected production of over 28,000 quintals of seed potatoes to meet the needs of farmers for the late-season crop.
Mostaganem, which annually produces around 4 million quintals of potatoes, plays a key role in supplying both national and regional markets year-round. The province primarily meets demand during the second quarter (March to June) through the seasonal and early harvests, and again in the fourth quarter (October to December) with the late-season harvest, commonly known as “end-of-season potatoes.”
In addition, Mostaganem’s local services reported on Monday that several individuals had been arrested for inciting farmers and producers in the Sirat commune to withhold their harvest for speculative purposes. The suspects reportedly resorted to violence and hate speech to further their agenda, according to an official statement.
