Valorisation marchande du lait de chamelle en Tunisie : comment faire ?

The camel milk sector in southem Tunisia is a new and innovative sector. In extensive breeding, this milk is now intended not only for camel drivers and their guests but also for urban consumers in the south of the country. If Tunisia has a relatively large camel herd (nearly 60,000 heads), the milk production of camels remains very low (2 to 3 kg/ day) in extensive environment because of the lack of investment for a transfer to an intensive breeding system more appropriate for milk production for the market. However, the creation of a collection unit in the production area, or at least a central collection and processing facility for camel milk, could contribute to the emergence of a real industry. Livestock systems have evolved over the past two decades in Tunisia from a transhumant or nomadic mode to a semi-intensive and peri-urban mode. Such an evolution has resulted in the emergence of a production and marketing circuit, especially in the peri-urban areas of the main towns of the southern governorates of the country. The growing demand for this product is observed despite its high price that makes the market production of camel milk an interesting speculation despite the low production of the Tunisian camel. This publication thus reviews the emergence of the camel milk sector in Tunisia.