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Algeria Gate: Algeria is making a strong impression at the Agra-2026 International Agriculture and Agri-Food Fair in Slovenia, where it is showcasing a wide range of products under the “Made in Algeria” label.

As this year’s guest of honor, Algeria is benefiting from a prominent platform to showcase the diversity and quality of its agricultural and agri-food production to European visitors and industry professionals.

For the second consecutive day, Algerian products have drawn significant interest from visitors and potential business partners, highlighting the growing competitiveness of the country’s agricultural and agri-food sectors and their potential in international markets.

The event is also providing Algerian companies with an opportunity to establish new partnerships, identify potential outlets in European markets, and expand non-hydrocarbon exports.

Algeria’s participation in Agra-2026 reflects the country’s broader efforts to promote its agricultural expertise, expand the international presence of its national products, and accelerate economic diversification.

The growing interest generated at the exhibition could open new opportunities for Algerian producers seeking to strengthen their foothold in European and other international markets.

Algeria Gate: Boualem Sansal’s latest book, La Légende, published by Grasset on June 2, has reportedly sold only 48,000 copies, despite Hachette Livre granting the author an exceptional €1 million advance and investing heavily in its promotion.

According to Le Monde, NielsenIQ BookData recorded 48,000 sales as of August 20, compared with an initial print run of 150,000 copies. The book initially performed strongly, selling nearly 17,000 copies in its first week and entering France’s top five bestsellers, but it quickly dropped out of the rankings.

The 252-page book, priced at €22, recounts Sansal’s year in an Algerian prison over accusations of undermining national unity. It was published by Grasset, part of Hachette, the French publishing giant owned by billionaire Vincent Bolloré.

Le Monde contrasted Sansal’s performance with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Le Journal d’un prisonnier, published by another Hachette imprint, Fayard. Sarkozy’s book sold 90,000 copies in its first week alone.

Hachette reportedly signed Sansal away from Gallimard, which had published his works since 1999. Gallimard and French publishing circles had campaigned for his release before Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune granted him a presidential pardon on November 12, 2025.

Despite the modest sales, Hachette reportedly provided extensive promotional support, including full-page newspaper advertisements, widespread appearances on Bolloré-owned media outlets, and large-scale orders ensuring prominent placement in Relay stores across major train stations and airports.

The figures have therefore raised questions about the €1 million advance and the scale of the promotional campaign, particularly given the book’s relatively weak commercial performance.

Algeria Gate: The Makhzen regime is facing growing challenges in maintaining its phosphate-derived fertilizer exports to European markets, amid rising concerns that these fertilizers may contain levels of toxic cadmium, a heavy metal that can migrate from soil into agricultural products and food, prompting warnings about its health and environmental risks.

In its natural state, phosphate contains cadmium, a heavy metal that is found in higher concentrations in phosphate deposits in Morocco, the United States, and Tunisia than in deposits in countries such as South Africa and Russia, according to data from the French health agency. The risks associated with this metal increase because it can migrate into agricultural soil and subsequently into food crops.

Cadmium is classified as a substance of health concern. It can cause damage to the kidneys, bones, and respiratory system and can increase the risk of cancer. It is a toxic heavy metal that occurs naturally in small quantities and can reach humans through air, water, and food. It can also accumulate in soil and agricultural crops, particularly when certain phosphate fertilizers containing high levels of cadmium are used.

The issue has become a public health concern in Europe, particularly in France, where calls have intensified for stricter controls on fertilizers imported from Morocco because of the potential risks they pose to agricultural products.

Faced with this pressure, the Moroccan Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP), which monopolizes the exploitation and processing of phosphate, attempted unsuccessfully to develop specific technologies to reduce cadmium levels in fertilizers destined for the European market. The group says the technology involves treating phosphoric acid and separating and isolating cadmium before it is used to manufacture fertilizers. However, this has not been enough to convince European health organizations, which have criticized the continued reliance on fertilizers imported from Morocco.

These measures have raised questions about cadmium levels in Moroccan fertilizers destined for markets outside the European Union, particularly since the company does not disclose the levels of this metal in all of its products. This has fueled concerns that different standards may be applied depending on the destination and market.

The Moroccan phosphate industry also faces environmental problems beyond cadmium, particularly those associated with fertilizer-production waste, most notably phosphogypsum, which contains heavy metals and acidic substances.

Between the risks posed by cadmium, European regulatory pressure, environmental problems, and supply disruptions, the phosphate sector produced by the Makhzen regime is entering a difficult period, while reducing toxic-metal levels has become an essential condition for maintaining its presence in the European market.