The Tunisian dairy industry: Overcoming obstacles for a promising future

An overview of dairy farms, between climatic challenges and development prospects

Kenan Kocer, Export Sales Manager

From Beja to Jendouba, via El Aroussa, throughout the week we had the opportunity to visit farms of various breeds in the north and west of Tunisia with our partner AgroServices.

These visits allowed us to discover a dairy industry which, although facing a number of challenges, has real potential for development. These meetings with farmers gave us an insight into the industry and its challenges.

Recent years have been particularly difficult for the dairy sector in Tunisia. Indeed, the country has had to face up to several major challenges affecting both milk production and the profitability of livestock farming. Among the major obstacles, recurrent drought has had a direct impact on foraging availability, leading to higher feed costs and additional pressures on dairy farms.

In addition, the variations in climatic conditions have had an impact on animal fertility. Indeed, fertility and health problems such as lameness and panaritium remain constant concerns for farmers. They seek to improve these aspects while optimizing milk production with high milk contents, but also by focusing on strong legs and a high-quality mammary system, which are selection criteria of great importance to breeders.

To meet these challenges, the Brown Swiss breed, exported by Swissgenetics to Tunisia since 2013, stands out for its heat resistance and its ability to produce high-quality milk suitable for cheese making. Local breeders are particularly satisfied with the results obtained with this breed, as it not only helps to improve milk prices, but also offers greater production stability in difficult climatic conditions.

At the same time, the Swiss Fleckvieh breed, known for its high capacity to produce milk and for its hardiness, also offers good prospects. Used in crossbreeding with Holsteins, this breed produces sturdier animals that are better adapted to the local conditions at the same time as maintaining good milk yields.

We would like to thank our partner AgroServices as well as the farm managers and breeders for their warm welcome. The collaboration and expertise of everyone involved made this visit a rewarding one, which promises for meeting the future challenges and developing the dairy industry in Tunisia.