Reference Date: 29-January-2026

Mixed weather conditions affected planting of 2026 winter cereals

Planting of 2026 winter cereals started in mid‑October 2025 and is expected to be completed by the end of January 2026. Rainfall distribution across the country has been mixed since the start of the season. In western regions, rainfall deficits through early November 2025 led to some delay in planting operations and constrained early crop establishment. By contrast, in key producing provinces in the east, including Skikda, Constantine and Chlef, above‑average precipitation amounts provided favourable conditions for planting and early crop development.

Favourable weather conditions improved cereal production in 2025

Cereal production in 2025 is estimated at 4.2 million tonnes, similar to the previous year and well above the 2021 drought‑affected output. Although the 2024/25 season was characterized by dry weather conditions between November 2024 and February 2025, adequate rainfall amounts between April and May in key producing provinces replenished soil moisture levels and supported yield recovery.

Above‑average import requirements forecast for 2025/26

Cereal import requirements for the 2025/26 marketing year (July/June) are preliminarily forecast at 14.6 million tonnes, about 8 percent above the five‑year average, with wheat accounting for the largest share, largely sourced from the Black Sea Region. Maize imports are forecast at 5 million tonnes, about 16 percent above average, reflecting strong feed needs from the expanding poultry sector.

Food price inflation decreased in November 2025

According to the latest available data, annual food inflation stood at about ‑3 percent in November 2025. Food inflation has followed a downward trend since May 2025, reaching a record low of ‑7.6 percent in September 2025. In Algiers, the decline was driven by price decreases of potatoes, fresh fruits, ovine and poultry meat. The perceived inflation for vegetables and fruit prices rose again in January 2026, following a 4 percent increase in gasoline prices, which led to higher retail prices due to increased transport costs.

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .

FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .

FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/ .