Rentabilité économique de l’élevage laitier en Tunisie : cas des Gouvernorats de l’Ariana et de Mahdia

Abstract

Economic profitability of the dairy production in Tunisia: case of Gouvernorats of Ariana and Mahdia. Dairy production profitability was confirmed in Tunisia under the input and output prices of 2002. This activity ensures a mean dairy production equal to 4690 l, a gross-margin and a profit per cow respectively equal to 641 TND and 127 TND per year. The production cost is equal to 0,339 TND/l. Analyses simulation show that an increase of concentrate price by 20% can reduce the gross-margin and increase milk production cost by 20% and 8% respectively. Within that situation, dairy production is not profitable in Tunisia. Also, simulation analyses showed that a reduction of irrigation water price by 50% had a positive effect on a profitability particularly of the integrated and semi-integrated systems even with a parallel increase of concentrate price by 20%. A comparison of milk production cost to its economic price of importation, indicates that dairy production is profitable only with present custom protection and with an irrigation water price subsidy. Without border protection, dairy production is not profitable in Tunisia even under the best favorable hypothesis about water and concentrate prices.

Keywords

• dairy production
• profitability
• rearing system
• Tunisia