Import of powdered milk: the CIPA pleads for the lifting of the freeze on health exemptions

During a meeting with milk producers who are members of the CIPA, the president of this body, Abdelouahab Ziani, specified that the sanitary derogations had been frozen since last September 9, adding that the dairies should obtain supplies of the raw material, for lack of what, they will be forced to stop their activities.

In this wake, Mr. Ziani called on the Ministry of Agriculture to listen to the concerns of operators in this sector and take them into consideration in order to put in place a participatory strategy for the development of the sector.

Despite the announcement made by the minister of the sector concerning the lifting of the freeze on the health derogation from last Sunday, "the services concerned by the application claim not to have received instructions in this direction", said he exclaimed.

The CIPA intends to contact the Ministry of Finance next week to raise awareness of this problem and also with the aim of examining ways and means of strengthening funding dedicated to investment in the field of cow breeding. dairy. The Confederation considers that it was the best solution for the development of the sector.

As for producers, they are calling for investment in the dairy cow industry and the production of animal feed to do without importing powdered milk.

In 2021, the production of the Milk sector amounted to more than 3 billion and 400 million liters, including 900 million liters of cow's milk produced locally.

Read also: Milk sector: need to improve the collection of fresh milk

Mr. Ziani stressed the need to make investments of the order of 500 million USD in the breeding of dairy cows in order to achieve self-sufficiency in raw material throughout the next three years.

To do this, adds Mr. Ziani, it takes no less than one million and 400 thousand dairy cows, while the country has only 400,000 cows, a figure far from covering demand.

In addition to these investments, continues the president of the CIPA, it is important to ensure more than 250,000 tons of cattle feed concentrate produced on an irrigated area of ​​nearly 50,000 hectares.

Remember that the average consumption of milk per individual in Algeria is estimated at 167 liters / year against the world average of 87 liters / year.

The producers wondered about the reasons behind "the freezing of the importation of milk powder for babies for eight (8) months without finding an alternative at the local level despite the contracts concluded and the payment of the invoices of foreign suppliers of this material .