THE IRISH Dairy Board has opened a representative office in Algeria in a bid to expand its presence in the African market.

A new dairy packaging plant for Kerrygold, the board’s flagship brand, has also been commissioned. The board has been exporting Irish milk products to Algeria for 15 years. Kerrygold, launched in Algeria three years ago, and the north African country is the board’s second largest market for cheese.

North Africa represents a market of almost 200 million consumers, with 35 million of those in Algeria.

The new facility, which is located in Oran, has the capacity to pack 4,000 tonnes of Kerrygold product per annum, and there are plans to further develop the plant.

Speaking at the opening of the new facility, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said the decision to open the facility demonstrates the board’s “ambition” and “foresight”, and is consistent with the 50 per cent dairy expansion target in Food Harvest 2020, the recent policy paper on the future of Ireland’s agri-food industry.

“I hope that, in the fullness of time, the bridges that the iconic Kerrygold brand can build in this region will be a foundation for further trade development for the Irish agri-food sector generally.”

Board chief executive Kevin Lane said the opening of the office demonstrated its commitment to enhancing business relationships with Africa.

The board is the country’s main exporter of Irish dairy products. It is owned by its member co-operatives and dairy companies. Its turnover was €1.9 billion in 2010, a 6 per cent rise on the previous year.