GEA agrees to construct world’s largest dairy project in Algeria
The CEO of GEA, Stefan Klebert, and representatives of Baladna, a leading Qatari dairy and food producer, along with the Algerian government, signed an agreement to construct the world’s largest integrated dairy farm and milk powder facility in Algeria.
According to a recent press release by the company, GEA will provide a comprehensive range of dairy farming and processing solutions – this is one of the largest single orders for GEA to date. Milk powder production is planned to commence in late 2027, with gradual scale.
Strengthen food security
Algeria is currently the world’s third-largest importer of milk powder. To strengthen future autonomy and food security in dairy products, the Algerian government – via its National Investment Fund – and Baladna Q.P.S.C. from Qatar entered a strategic partnership via the newly-formed company subsidiary Baladna Algeria S.P.A.
The partnership’s purpose is to finance and manage the construction of a state-of-the-art integrated dairy farming and milk powder production facility in Algeria’s Adrar province. The locally-produced milk powder is planned to meet about 50% of Algeria’s national milk powder needs, representing a significant step towards self-sufficiency. Additionally, the project will create approximately 5,000 job opportunities.
Construction and production
The facility will be the largest of its kind, located about 90 km from the provincial capital. Construction will commence at the beginning of 2026, with first milk powder production scheduled to start in late 2027. Production volumes will be gradually expanded. When completed and fully supplied, this facility’s final capacity will amount to approximately 100,000 tonnes of milk powder per year.
“We are proud that Baladna and the Algerian government are entrusting GEA to play a key part in this lighthouse project,” says Stefan Klebert, CEO GEA. “Not only are we building the world’s largest facility of its kind – we are also helping to strengthen regional food security and economic development.”
“This engagement with GEA marks a milestone in the acceleration of the project,” Mohamed Moutaz Al-Khayyat, chairman of Baladna commented.
GEA will cover the entire value chain of milk powder production, from dairy farming to processing and packaging of the final product.
