How did potatoes get so expensive in Algeria?
“Shortages it hasn’t seen since the 60s or 70s”.
Africa Daily · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
Recent images of Algerians queuing up for milk paints a picture of just how difficult it’s become for people trying to get the very basic food staples they rely on. Not just milk but things like chicken, red meat and now even potatoes. Potatoes, once accessible and cheap are now very expensive. The country’s concentration on its oil industry has meant it’s not done enough to reduce its reliance on food imports. Algeria imports around 70 per cent of its food requirements. The fall in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic have just added to the cost of basic food. In Africa Daily Alan Kasujja looks at why Algerians are struggling to put food on the table.