Algeria to erase all farm debt: report

ALGIERS (AFP) - The Algerian government will erase all farming debts to prime up the agriculture sector, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said Saturday.

The debt amounts to 41 billion dinars (410 million euros, 520 million dollars), according to the APS news agency.

"The state has decided to erase all the debt of farmers and breeders, and it is the public treasury that will buy up the debt," the agency cited Bouteflika as saying.

The move is aimed at "encouraging the agricultural sector to make a major effort to modernize its activity and to increase the diversity of its products," he said.

Bouteflika, speaking at a conference at Biskra, about 425 kilometers (264 miles) southeast of Algiers, also spoke about other steps the government is taking to advance healthcare, education and sports.

The 72-year-old leader, first elected in 1999, is seeking re-election after parliament voted to eliminate a previous two-term limit for president.

Algeria's two main legal opposition parties are boycotting the April 9 poll, claiming the vote is already a "done deal" set up in Bouteflika's favor.

Meanwhile, 11 candidates have formally submitted their papers to challenge Bouteflika and the constitutional council will rule before March 6 on their eligibility.