Agriculture Ministry Launches National Reflection to Revamp Dairy Sector Strategy

The Ministry of Agriculture has initiated a national reflection to update the dairy sector strategy and define a new roadmap aimed at reviving a sector facing multiple structural difficulties. This initiative was at the heart of an open dialogue organized on May 21, bringing together nearly 70 participants representing the public and private sectors, professionals, researchers, and international partners, according to expert in agricultural affairs Anis Ben Rayana.

Dairy Sector's Economic Importance

According to the General Directorate of Agricultural Production's data for 2021, the dairy sector represents approximately 11% of the country's agricultural gross domestic product and 12% of the total value of agricultural production in Tunisia. The sector currently comprises around 86,000 farmers.

Challenges Facing the Dairy Sector

However, the sector is facing a continuous decline in several indicators. The dairy herd has decreased by 26% between 2013 and 2025, dropping from 458,000 to 339,000 dairy cows. Despite this, the average production per cow reached 3,804 liters per year in 2024, a level still below the actual potential of the herd, which is still insufficiently exploited, according to the expert.

Factors Contributing to the Sector's Decline

Anis Ben Rayana explained that the sector is suffering from the combined effects of several factors, including drought, decline in the dairy herd, depreciation of the dinar, and its impact on imports, as well as the lack of animal feed, weakness of investments, and decrease in imports of animal feed inputs.

Current Feeding Conditions Limiting Productivity

He also emphasized that the current feeding conditions limit the exploitation of the productive capacities of cows to only 60% of their actual potential.

New Financing Mechanism for African Farmers

During this meeting, the World Bank presented a new financing mechanism called "AgriConnect," aiming to support 300 million African farmers by 2030. Tunisia has been selected as part of this initiative through the dairy sector. The program includes the establishment of a digital mapping of farmers, development of the milk collection system, improvement of services offered to professionals, and integration of climate issues into the development strategy of the sector.