Tunisia has increased its estimates of cereal harvest this season from 2.2 to 2.36 million tons, but will have to import 1.6 million tons, including 900,000 of wheat, Minister of Agriculture, Lassaad Lachaal told Reuters last Friday.
“The grain harvest will be around 2.36 million tons this season. So far we have been able to collect about 500,000 tons,” he said.
Harvest in Tunisia fell to 1.2 million tons in 2013 due to insufficient rainfall. In 2012, the grain harvest was 2.2 million tons.
“We need to import about 1.6 million tons, including 900,000 tons of wheat, 300,000 tons of durum wheat and 400,000 tons of barley,” said for his part, Khaled Lachtar, Director of the Grain Office.
He added that the current grain stocks were sufficient to meet local demand until September.
