Algeria barred French companies from a recent wheat import tender and prohibited bidders from offering French-origin wheat, reflecting strained diplomatic ties with Paris. This move follows France’s decision in July to support Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, angering Algerian authorities, which backs the Polisario Front’s independence efforts. This exclusion boosts the dominance of Black Sea suppliers, particularly Russia, in Algeria’s wheat market. The tender, estimated at over 500,000 metric tons, saw no French participation, raising uncertainty about the duration of the ban. Algiers also requested that non-French companies participating in the tender should not propose French wheat as a supply option. Algeria, one of the world’s largest wheat buyers, had similarly sidelined France from its wheat tenders during an identical diplomatic fallout three years ago. Neither Algeria’s state grains agency nor French officials have commented on the situation.
SOURCE: REUTERS
