Tunisia Power Cuts Kill Poultry and Spoil Milk

Tunisia's recent power cuts have caused heavy losses for farms and food businesses as summer demand strains the electricity grid.

At a poultry farm near El-Fahs, about 60 kilometres from Tunis, veterinarian Hamza Bouchrit estimated losses at between 1.4 million and 1.5 million dinars, or about $500,000. He told AFP that nearly 90 percent of the birds died after ventilation and water systems stopped, equal to 400 to 500 tonnes of meat lost.

Tunisia's national electricity company, STEG, has used load shedding, or rolling blackouts, when demand exceeds production capacity. STEG said the measure was unavoidable to prevent a wider blackout.

Bouchrit said the farm had a generator, but it was designed only for short emergencies. He said it overheated and stopped after the outage lasted longer than two or three hours.

A nearby dairy farmer, Aziz Bouhejba, said he had thrown away six days of milking, about 1,200 litres, from around 50 Holstein cows. He criticised what he described as long and poorly planned cuts.

Businesses have also complained about a lack of clear schedules. CONECT, one of Tunisia's main employers' organisations, condemned the lack of visibility for companies. Samia Diab, head of the chamber of pastry makers, said her workshop in Tunis had been closed for about 10 days and that she had thrown away a large quantity of dough.

Mohamed Saddam, president of the fishmongers' chamber, said the fishing sector had also been affected because ice prices had risen, helping push up fish prices.

Tunisia's parliament held a plenary session on Monday on the electricity age and water cuts, but government representatives did not attend. Several lawmakers criticised their absence.