For the benefit of engineers, milk technicians and livestock farmers in Tunisia

21 February, 2019 – Tunis : As part of a project to reduce food losses and waste in Tunisia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has completed a series of training courses for engineers and technicians in milk collection centers and dairy plants in the Tunisian governorates of Bizerte and Mahdia.

Funded by the Italian Agency for International Cooperation, five training sessions were conducted between February 5 and 21, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries, and in partnership with the Inter-professional Consortium for Red Meat and Milk (GIVLAIT), and other bodies involved in the dairy sector, including the Office of Livestock and Pasture, and the Regional Commissions for Agricultural Development (CRDA).

The training sessions were organized at the Bizerte Agri-food Technopole, at the Bazina Food Center in the governorate of Bizerte, at “En Nejma” Cooperative Company for Basic Agricultural Services in El Jem, Mahdia governorate, and at the Cooperative Company for Basic Agricultural Services “El Houda” in the governorate of Mahdia.

More than sixty technicians and engineers from collection centers and dairy plants, as well as 150 rural livestock farmers, were trained on good practices for reducing losses along the milk value chain.

These theoretical and practical trainings were much appreciated by the participants who became aware of the magnitude of the losses in the milk value chain and their causes as well as the best methods for their reduction.

Mr. Kamel Rjaibi, Director General of GIVLAIT, presented the second phase of the FAO Response Plan, which aims to reduce losses in the milk sector in the two governorates targeted, which could ensure the sustainability of these good practices and promote a knowledge-sharing dynamic among breeders of dairy cows. 

The Assistant to the FAO Representative in Tunisia, Mr. Ahmed Bougacha, reminded that the waste in the milk chain reached 6.8% in Mahdia, and 9.1% in Bizerte governorates. He noted the importance of reducing waste and losses to guarantee an optimal usage of resources and increase the revenue of livestock breeders.

He confirmed FAO's determination to continue its support to small-scale dairy farmers, (men and women), and strengthen their capacity to increase the quantity of milk and improve its quality.

Il est à rappeler que la FAO a entamé en 2016 la mise en œuvre du projet de réduction des pertes et gaspillages alimentaires en Tunisie et en Égypte. Le projet a été lancé pour traiter la question du volume alarmant de pertes et gaspillage alimentaires au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique du Nord, où il est estimé à environ 200 kg par personne et par an.

In 2016, FAO initiated the implementation of the Food Loss Reduction Project in Tunisia and Egypt. The project was launched to address the alarming volume of food loss and waste in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is estimated at around 200 kg per person per year.

In-depth studies estimating the losses and wastage of tomatoes and grapes in Egypt and cereals and milk in Tunisia were conducted under the project. These studies aimed to estimate wastage and losses, and to identify their causes, with a view to putting in place a priority action plan to reduce them.