(Ecofin Agency) - In Algeria, the Industrial dairy production group (Groupe Industriel des Productions Laitières –GIPLAIT) announced it would increase its production capacity from 300,000 litres daily to a million litre.

The move aims to fully meet the needs of Algiers’ population as well as that of those of its neighboring wilayas such as Tizi Ouzou, Blida and Tipaza. It comes after it was discovered that the fraudulent behavior of some private milk companies’ owners led to a shortage of the commodity in the local market.

Managing Director of the National Interprofessional Milk Office (ONIL in French), Fathi Messar, said “it was the work of some milk companies which stole powdered milk subsidized by the State to make cheese and derivatives”.

GIPLAIT also said it would start producing boxed milk next year, with a unit costing 50-60 dinars.

Aaron Akinocho