Tunisia's Minister of Agriculture Confirms 20% Decline in Cattle Herd
The Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, Ezzedine Ben Cheikh, has confirmed a decline of around 20% in Tunisia's cattle herd. He emphasized that the ministry has taken a set of integrated measures aimed at rebalancing the system and protecting small farmers, who are considered the most vulnerable link in the chain.
Speaking during a joint plenary session of the Assembly of People's Representatives and the Council of Regions and Districts to discuss the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, as part of the state budget project for 2026, Ben Cheikh explained that the main causes of this decline are:
- The succession of drought seasons and water deficits in recent years
- The rise in global feed prices
According to the minister, these measures include:
- Institutional reform through the creation of the National Office for Animal Feed (ONAA)
- Pricing of imported raw materials for animal feed by the Ministry of Trade and Export Development
- Improvement of herd health and protection of animal resources
He also mentioned the National Program for Reconstituting the Herd, provided for in the 2025 Finance Act, which will be implemented over four years, indicating that it is in its final stages of launch.
Ben Cheikh affirmed that these measures should have a positive impact on the red meat sector. He also noted that the Ministry of Agriculture's services attach great importance to the development of small ruminants in the face of climate change, particularly by supporting small farmers through numerous revenue-generating measures within development projects.
Regarding the camel sector, he indicated that, as part of the national plan to promote the sector, the ministry is working to establish and equip infrastructure to provide solar energy to livestock collection centers, in addition to providing health coverage for the herd. The goal is to limit the slaughter of animals and relatively reconstitute the herd.
As for the quotas of subsidized feed allocated to the governorates, the minister confirmed the distribution of the quantity of fodder (Sdari) dedicated to farmers across the different governorates, based on the number of heads of cattle. He also denied any problems regarding barley for farmers.
Regarding the shortage and high price of sheep for the Eid al-Adha holiday, Ben Cheikh revealed that a special program is being developed in coordination with the various stakeholders to prepare for Eid al-Adha 2026. This program aims to ensure the supply of designated markets by establishments and institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as by the private sector, in sufficient quantities. It will emphasize transparency in commercial transactions through weight-based sales. He affirmed that the details of this program will be announced in due course.
