The Assistance Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia awarded to the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) a grant to establish – in partnership with INAT, the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, the U.S. Soybean Export Council, and Iowa State University – the Center for Feed Manufacturing in Tunisia. This training facility will engage nutritionists and feed millers, and train poultry, dairy, beef, and aquaculture producers to improve overall feed manufacturing in Tunisia. USGC is currently training 47 Tunisian feed industry professionals through a combination of technical, in-classroom instruction on feed manufacturing and animal nutrition as well as practical, hands-on training conducted at INAT’s newly launched feed center, which will help educate the next generation of feed millers by facilitating development and growth in regional feed production.
The training program involved the active participation of experts from Iowa State University (ISU) and the Northern Crop Institute (NCI), who worked with INAT to establish the program curriculum.
Over the past year, USGC worked closely with INAT to establish its feed center’s feed mill training facility and to purchase and install the necessary equipment for the hands-on feed manufacturing training. INAT’s training center includes essential equipment necessary for producing quality feed, including a hammer and roller mill used for training and to demonstrate new technology for feed production and livestock professionals.
USGC is beginning to plan for a second in-classroom training program at ISU and NCI this summer, which will host an additional dozen Tunisian feed industry professionals.
Eventually, the project aims to see more than 150 Tunisian feed professionals developing the feed and livestock industry in Tunisia and plans to expand training opportunities and to establish INAT’s training center as a regional resource that offers programs specific to feed industry professionals across Africa and the Middle East. Through these training programs, feed production in the region will become more efficient and widespread, stimulating demand and leading to U.S. agricultural exports.
Presentation of Feed Training Center at the USSEC Seminar
On Wednesday March 6th, during the USSEC Seminar on “U.S. Soya products Quality differentiation, INAT Professor Taha Najjar gave a presentation on the Feed Training Center as the new tool for the Feed Industry. Professor Najjar expressed his appreciation for this training program to improve the quality of compound feed and to cut and reduce the cost of production and to improve overall livestock production and feed management resulting in better quality of meat, milk, and eggs to the consumer as well as improving the farmer profitability.
He described his interest to create a long-term sustainable training institution that will benefit Tunisian professionals for years to come. INAT hopes to expand its training program to conduct intensive feed training for audiences beyond Tunisia, expanding its reach regionally across the Middle East and Africa. This will ensure that the center continues to be used and that trainers are employed in a host of training activities, which will ensure job creation and project financial stability over the long term
