Algeria may become a destination for UK biscuit wheat exports following a visit by state officials.

A delegation from the Office Algérien Interprofessionnel des Céréales (OAIC), which is responsible for Algerian wheat imports, took part in the two-day visit.

The visit followed the UK’s Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) holding a workshop for Algerian bakers earlier this year to highlight the quality of UK wheat.

The OAIC delegates were shown a UK port to demonstrate quality controls and regulations, and were taken to a farm and grain store to see how grain was produced and looked after on-farm, and the processes for ensuring the cleanliness of wheat throughout production and storage.

 “This was an incredibly important mission as the OAIC is looking to diversify its suppliers in order to reduce its reliance on France, opening up a real opportunity for our exporters,” said AHDB export marketing executive Dorit Cohen.

“The visit followed an AHDB biscuit baking workshop in January, which was successful in raising awareness of UK soft milling wheat quality characteristics. We are now finding that UK soft milling wheat is becoming well-known at the OAIC, as well as among biscuit millers.”

Algeria has been the UK’s largest non-EU recipient of wheat in recent years, with exports totalling 175,510 tonnes in 2015/16 and 206,646 tonnes in 2016/17, according to HMRC.