Twenty Tunisian tech startups and 200 agricultural operators from across the country took part in a B2B event titled “Agricultural Startups – Agricultural Investors”, held Thursday in Tunis by the Agricultural Investment Promotion Agency (APIA) under the theme “Investing in Technology for Resilient Agriculture.”
The event was structured around five thematic areas: agri-tech, environmental technology, soil health technology, innovations in animal feed and animal health, and new technologies in aquaculture and fisheries.
Its main objective was to create direct and operational links between technology startups and farmers, turning innovation into practical field solutions and supporting the transition to sustainable and resilient agriculture.
The initiative also sought to improve the visibility of technologies developed by startups and identify the most suitable solutions for each agricultural value chain. APIA will follow up on contacts established during the event in the short and medium term to help transform them into concrete partnerships.
Tunisia’s agricultural sector faces multiple challenges, including climate change, the sustainability of production systems, water resource management, improving productivity through the preservation of soil, land and animal health, as well as agricultural product traceability and marketing.
In recent years, agricultural startups have emerged with innovative solutions tailored to the sector. However, despite their strong potential, these innovations still struggle to establish direct and operational links with agricultural investors, limiting their real impact on the ground.
Opening the event, Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Minister Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh stressed the need for a profound modernization of the agricultural sector through innovation and partnerships with startups.
According to the minister, startups have demonstrated their ability to provide concrete solutions in several strategic areas, including efficient water management and smart irrigation, improved productivity and product quality, the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in agricultural services, and the value-added processing of agricultural products.
He reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to supporting pioneering initiatives, encouraging private investment, and strengthening links between scientific research and agriculture to build a sustainable and resilient agricultural system capable of meeting current challenges.
For her part, APIA Director General Inji Doggui Hanini emphasized the need to shift toward sustainable, smart and responsible agricultural investment in response to major challenges facing the sector, particularly water scarcity, climate change and rising production costs.
She reiterated the agency’s commitment to modernizing agriculture by promoting innovation, encouraging the adoption of smart technological solutions and supporting startups whose activities are directly focused on agriculture.
According to Hanini, around 50 agricultural startups currently benefit from targeted support, specialized training designed to facilitate access to markets and financing, and priority participation in trade fairs, exhibitions and competitions organized by the agency.
