Algeria's food imports drop 16%

Algeria's food imports dropped by 16.59 percent to 709 million US dollars in October 2013, compared to 850 million in the same period in 2012, the official APS news agency reported Saturday, quoting figures of Customs. Food products represent over 17 percent of the total volume of the structure of Algerian imports, which fell by 27.62 percent to 3.93 billion dollars in October 2013, compared to 5.43 billion in the same month in 2012, the source said. This drop was mostly due to a decline in imports of sugar to 26. 17 million dollars, pulses to 33.65 million dollars, the source specified. In 2012, Algerian imports hit 47.49 billion dollars, with a decrease of 8.4 percent in the food import bill to 9.02 billion dollars, comparing with 2011.