Algeria reportedly blocks $219 million fertiliser trade with France as Emmanuel Macron’s support for Morocco deepens economic confrontation

Algeria has reportedly instructed domestic producers to stop exporting urea fertiliser to France, escalating an economic confrontation linked to President Emmanuel Macron’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara. The restriction threatens a trade flow worth approximately $219 million in 2025 and could force French agricultural suppliers to find alternative sources before the next planting season.

• Algeria has reportedly instructed domestic producers to stop exporting urea fertiliser to France.
• France imported about $219 million of Algerian urea in 2025, representing roughly a quarter of its supplies.
• The reported restriction follows an unofficial Algerian ban on most French imports imposed in July.
• Relations deteriorated after President Emmanuel Macron backed Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Algeria supplied about 481,000 tonnes of urea to France last year, accounting for roughly a quarter of French imports of the widely used nitrogen fertiliser.

The North African country was France’s second-largest foreign supplier after Egypt, making the reported suspension commercially significant for French importers and farmers.

The measure also follows an unofficial near-total ban on French imports introduced by Algeria in July, indicating that the diplomatic dispute between Paris and Algiers is spreading into more areas of trade.

Algeria’s instruction to producers was reported by Reuters⁠ on 23 October, based on information from five diplomatic and industry sources. Neither the Algerian government nor the affected producers had issued a public announcement confirming the restriction at the time of the report.

A $219 million fertiliser supply at risk

World Bank trade data based on the United Nations Comtrade database show that France imported approximately $219 million of urea from Algeria in 2025.

The shipments weighed nearly 481,000 tonnes, up from about 302,000 tonnes worth $131.3 million in 2024.

Algeria consequently supplied around 25% of France’s urea imports last year, behind Egypt’s 33% share.

Urea is a nitrogen-rich fertiliser used to improve crop yields. European farmers rely heavily on imports because high natural-gas and production costs have constrained fertiliser manufacturing within the region.

A sustained stoppage could make France more dependent on suppliers in Egypt, the Netherlands, Germany and other markets.

It could also create opportunities for producers in countries such as Nigeria, although Nigerian urea shipments to France were comparatively small in 2025.

Algerian producers will need to redirect cargoes previously destined for one of their most important European markets.

The European Union bought about $528 million of Algerian urea in 2025, while other leading customers included Brazil, the United States, Canada and Argentina. These markets could provide alternative destinations, although prices, shipping costs and existing supply contracts will affect how quickly cargoes can be redirected.

Macron’s Morocco decision deepens dispute

Relations between France and Algeria deteriorated sharply in 2024 after Mr Macron backed Morocco’s plan to grant Western Sahara autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.

Morocco considers the territory part of its sovereign land, while Algeria supports the Polisario Front, which is seeking an independent state.

France’s position represented a major diplomatic victory for Morocco but angered Algeria, which regarded the decision as a rejection of its longstanding position on the disputed territory.

The fertiliser measure shows the growing financial consequences of the disagreement. What began as a dispute over sovereignty and regional influence is now affecting businesses, agricultural supply chains and bilateral trade.

Algeria’s reported restriction also reverses the conventional direction of the trade pressure.

The import measures imposed in July targeted French companies attempting to sell goods into Algeria. The latest action targets a commodity being sold by Algerian producers to French customers.

France risks losing a supplier that accounted for one in every four tonnes of its imported urea in 2025. Algeria’s move could put economic pressure on Paris, but it also risks costing domestic fertiliser producers an established market worth more than $200 million a year.