Once fully operational, the project could meet up to 50% of Algeria’s milk powder demand, significantly strengthening the country’s food security, Dairy Business Middle East & Africa reports.
Key points:
- construction of the milk powder plant under the Baladna project in Algeria is 28% complete;
- the first dairy cows are expected at the end of November 2026, with 30,000 head to be imported from the US;
- total investment in the project is USD 3.5 billion;
- the project aims to meet 50% of national milk powder demand and build a herd of around 270,000 cows.
Minister’s inspection
Construction of the milk powder plant under the Baladna project has reached 28%, according to a progress assessment reported by Algerie Eco after Agriculture Minister Sid Ali Khaldi inspected project sites in Adrar province.
Khaldi described Baladna as an integrated value-chain model combining agricultural development, production and processing, saying it should help reduce imports and create direct and indirect jobs.
Officials presented updates on the evaporation and drying units and other industrial installations. Khaldi called for continued monitoring, coordination among project participants and adherence to the planned schedule.
First cows due at the end of November
Khaldi also inspected a quarantine and isolation facility near Adrar airport. The first dairy cattle are expected to arrive around the end of November 2026.
The plan is to import 30,000 cattle from nine US states over 10 months via an air bridge. A separate site in Fenoughil is earmarked for a cattle farm with 492 barns, according to the report.
Investment and partners
In 2025, Baladna Algeria signed initial contracts worth more than USD 500 million with Algerian and international suppliers and consultants to develop Algeria’s dairy industry.
The contracts form part of the first phase of Baladna’s integrated agri-industrial project to produce milk powder in Algeria, with total investment of USD 3.5 billion.
Key international suppliers and consultants include GEA (Germany), a leader in dairy processing and automated milking systems; Valmont (USA), specialising in water-efficient irrigation; Urbacon UCC, a globally recognised contractor; and EHAF, a leading engineering consultancy.
The initiative focuses on dairy farming and milk powder production, aiming to meet 50% of Algeria’s national milk powder demand locally and support the country’s self-sufficiency goal.
The company later signed second-phase agreements worth more than USD 635 million as part of the USD 3.5 billion integrated dairy project.
An air bridge for 30,000 cows
The agreements come alongside the launch of a large-scale airlift to import dairy cattle from the United States, a significant step in the project’s execution.
The airlift will carry 30,000 Holstein Friesian dairy cows on 109 flights from nine US states, supporting the development of one of the world’s largest integrated dairy projects, designed to build a herd of around 270,000 cows.
