Algeria is developing Baladna’s $3.5bn Sahara dairy complex
Algeria has long relied on imported dairy products because domestic output does not meet consumption. In 2023, the country imported about 250,000 tonnes of whole milk powder and almost 168,000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Baladna’s latest corporate projections put the complex’s industrial capacity at about 198,000 tonnes of milk powder a year. The company estimates that this would represent roughly 50% of Algeria’s market requirements, although the figure depends on the project reaching its planned production levels.
Integrated production
The project is designed to combine animal-feed cultivation, livestock facilities, milking centres and dairy processing. The approximately 117,000 hectares in Adrar will contain agricultural and production areas. Baladna is seeking to apply in Algeria an intensive dairy model that it previously developed in Qatar, where the company operates under high temperatures and limited rainfall.
Water infrastructure is a central part of the development. During 2026, Baladna reported progress on drilling, groundwater-use facilities and large-scale irrigation systems. Initial agricultural work has begun alongside construction of livestock and industrial facilities. Irrigation will be used to grow forage, while the farms will also require water for animals, cleaning, cooling and daily operations. Pumping, ventilation, climate control, milking and processing will require energy supplies.
Adrar is in one of the hottest parts of the Sahara, with temperatures exceeding 40°C for extended periods of the year. The operating plan therefore includes ventilation, cooling and continuous water provision, together with health protocols for extreme environmental conditions. Heat stress can affect cattle feed intake, reproduction, animal welfare and individual milk yields.
Cattle and timetable
Baladna has announced an initial shipment of 30,000 Holstein cows from the United States. Under the latest schedule provided by the company, the operation will begin in November 2026 and use 109 flights from nine American states over about ten months. The planned herd is ultimately expected to reach between 240,000 and 270,000 animals.
Baladna has also signed contracts worth more than $635m for a new phase of the project, covering infrastructure, irrigation, construction and equipment. The first production operations are scheduled to start towards the end of 2027. Expansion of the herd, forage production, irrigation systems and processing plants is planned to continue in stages after that.
