The apple produced in Algeria is sold at very high prices, which are sometimes a deterrent.
Freed from import competition, the Algerian apple remains at very expensive prices, which can reach 1000 dinars per kilo.
The situation should continue according to the President of the Association for Consumer Protection and Consumer Orientation (Apoce) Mustapha Zebdi.
In a post on Facebook, Mr. Zebdi gives the reasons why prices for the apple produced in Algeria should remain high despite the bounty of production.
He cited as an example the amount of apples produced on the Batna wilaya plain alone, which amounts to 1,350,000 quintals.
For Zebdi, prices for the Algerian apple remain high because it is the “only fruit that can be kept in cold storage depending on the variety and quality”.
“The sale will take place calmly. It’s possible to get into the new season while last year’s harvest is still in the cold stores,” says the President of Apoce.
Zebdi is surprised by the fact that the Algerian apple is not exported, despite the huge quantities produced, but he explains that the product’s world-class price does not encourage producers to think about exporting.
“Apples are sold internationally for an average of €1 per kilo. Therefore, it is better to store it and sell it for between 400 and 600 dinars than to sell it for the equivalent of 160 dinars at the bank rate,” he continues.
Which solutions in view of high prices?
Mustapha Zebdi does not stop at the observation phase and recommends solutions to bring down the prices of local apples.
Among the solutions proposed by Apoce’s President are the control of cold storage rooms and the obligation to sell the harvest every season.
Zebdi also spoke about the apple import ban, which he says has created a “monopoly.”
“We are betting on market regulation rather than import,” he said, recalling that the high price of “regulation fruit” bananas will keep other fruits at high price levels.
“Aren’t we faced with intense speculation,” he said at the end of his speech, wondering about the exorbitant prices for apples produced in Algeria.