ALGIERS-The project to build an infant milk and flour plant was announced Monday in Algiers under a cooperation between a national private operator and SAIDAL Group.

The plant will produce 15,000 tons of power milk and 10,000 tons of flour per year. It will enter into service during the second quarter of 2025, according to the explanations provided during the inspection visit made by the Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production, Ali Aoun to the project.

Spanning an area of 9,000 m2, the plant will be constructed at SAIDAL’s production unit in El Harrach.

The integration rate expected hits 30% in the first year, covering part of the package and the addition of minerals and vitamins to imported powder milk.

The plant, worth nearly DZD4 billion, will be built with assistance and equipment from Germany. Il will create 52 direct jobs in the first step and nearly 150 jobs subsequently, said the project’s officials.

This project is the fruit of a partnership between the project owner, the private company Algerian Baby Healthcare and SAIDAL Group, which will conduct the necessary analysis, provide minerals and vitamins added to the product and market a part of the product in pharmacies.

The new plant will provide infant milk based on the three age categories, that is from 0 to 36 months. The product will be packed in boxes of 200, 400 and 900 grams.  

During his inspection visit to the project, Aoun affirmed that the project “will allow our country to reduce dependence on imports of these two products,” referring to “a skyrocketing increase in infant milk” although 12 operators import 10,000 tons per year.”

Alongside the “Baladna” infant milk powder production project, which is the fruit of an Algeria-Qatar partnership, this project will provide local coverage of the national market's needs for this essential commodity, according to the minister, who expects surplus production to be destined for export.

The second phase of the Algerian Baby Healthcare project will see the launch of a 3600-cow dairy farm in Djelfa for the direct manufacture of milk powder, he said.

However, Aoun insisted on “respecting delivery deadlines to launch production as soon as possible,” while increasing production volume, especially as the plant's announced production capacity concerns an eight-hour-a-day activity cycle, hence the possibility of soaring production.

For his part, SAIDAL Group CEO Wassim Kouidri expressed the Group's willingness to provide the assistance needed to manufacture a “quality” product, stressing that “the manufacture of infant milk and flour is similar to that of medicines, being produced in a laboratory” to meet current standards.[/ecr]