National plan set to boost dairy productivity in Egypt

CAIRO – 4 June 2018: A national plan was set to boost the dairy productivity in the coming period due tothe importance of dairy products for all ages, according to Deputy of the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Mona Mehrez Ali Hassanein.

Hassanein added that Egypt is self-sufficient in dairy products withper capita milk consumption of 50 kilograms per year, referring that Egypt imports 166,000 tons of children’s milk and powdered milk although it exports 45,000 tons of dairy milk.

The deputy added that fragmentation of livestock property challenges theexpansion in dairy production, as the livestock needs to be developed through considering recommendations, programs andgenetic improvement of Egyptian livestock from cows and buffaloes to increase the dairy productivity.

She further explained that the genetic improvement of cows and buffaloes has been applied in five governorates, where genetic improvement units and artificial insemination for 5,000 heads of dairy cattle were found to develop the upcoming livestock generation for higher milk production.

This comes along with establishing farms specialized in foreign breeds of high-yielding dairy cows to increase the productivity of one head with an average of up to 50 kg.

In the same context, the deputy of the minister of agriculture and land reclamation remarked that reducing milk waste by applying expansion system in the milk collection centers is essential for enhancing products' quality, increasing the income of the breeders and raising awareness aboutthe healthy ways of aggregating milk, thusreducing bacteria and achieving the economic interests of dairy industry.

Hassanein stressed that a national plan was set,in accordance with the available state budget and in coordination with private companies, to establish milk collection centers.

According to a report issued in February 2014 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), many countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Egypt, face many challenges with food security due to the rapidly increasing population; these countries depend mainly on imports.

In this regard, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi stressed during the fifth National Youth Conference on May 16 that many projects have been launched to achieve self-sufficiency, meet the citizens’ needs and increase the exports.

He referred that Egypt produces 124 tons of milk; a project to produce dairy products will be inaugurated by the end of 2018, aiming to double Egypt’s production of milk.