Fathi Ben Khelifa, economic advisor to the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries, told Mosaique FM on Tuesday, February 18, that the livestock sector has incurred losses estimated at 3 billion dinars in recent years, which explains the rise in red meat prices.
He added that farmers are calling for an increase in the price of milk to secure a small profit margin. “
The production cost amounts to 1,915 millimes per liter, while the selling price is 1,350 millimes, a rate that has remained unchanged for years despite the skyrocketing prices of fodder,” he lamented.
Ben Khelifa emphasized that the current policy in the dairy sector is not only undermining producers but also the entire economy.
On another note, he pointed out that farmers need access to financing with preferential interest rates to overcome their crisis.
However, he clarified that some measures outlined in the 2025 Finance Law, such as tax exemptions for importing dairy cows, were already in effect before the law was officially validated.
