Ramzi Trabelsi, director of the National Observatory for Supply and Prices at the Ministry of Trade, told Africanmanager ar in an interview that the potato crisis will be resolved in December, pointing out that this period coincides with autumn and that olive oil prices will fall significantly.
Interview:
What are the real reasons for the shortage of potatoes on Tunisian markets?
The potato crisis is due to the coincidence of this period with the structural autumn deficit, which started at the beginning of November and will last until December.
“We know that the interseasonal period is filled by injecting buffer stocks into the markets. However, recent years have been characterized by a reduction in potato acreage due to drought and lack of rainfall.”
The area under cultivation has fallen from around 10,000 hectares to around 8,000 hectares, which has affected production levels and consequently buffer stocks, which have not been sufficient to meet the demand for potatoes in the various governorates of the Republic.
So the potato crisis will soon be over?
The crisis is likely to ease in the first half of December, especially as seasonal potato production began last November and the necessary quantities have already been supplied to the market.
During this month, the campaigns of the control services of the Ministry of Trade have had to deal with numerous monopolies and price manipulation practices, and 234 tons of potatoes were confiscated last November, out of a total of 778 tons.
Is recourse to imports one of the solutions proposed by the Ministry of Trade?
The Ministry’s services have taken charge of the supply of potatoes to the market, noting that the retail price has been revised from TND 1.9 to the current TND 2.375.
The Ministry of Trade relies on national potato production to supply the market, and all imports currently recorded are made by private individuals.
Tightening controls on speculators and imposing maximum penalties on them are top priorities for the Ministry’s action, with the aim of dealing with serious infringements, including closure decisions and decisions involving deprivation of liberty.
It is expected that the inspection work will continue in the coming period in order to preserve the purchasing power of citizens and restore the confidence of consumers and traders.
How would you sum up the economic monitoring carried out by the Ministry of Trade since the beginning of 2024?
Between January 2024 and last November, 588,000 inspection visits were carried out and 82,000 violations were recorded, including 27,000 related to prices and monopoly violations, such as illegal price increases, refusal to sell, and packaged sales.
Most of the infringements were in the agricultural sector, with around 35,000, while 29,000 were in the food sector in general and around 7,000 in bakeries, restaurants and cafés.
How much will olive oil cost this season?
Olive oil prices are expected to fall significantly this season compared to last year, as Tunisian olive oil production is forecast to reach 340,000 tons.
The current price per liter is 12 dinars and this trend is expected to continue as the olive harvest season started in October and will continue until March.
What has been decided about the prices of subsidized products for 2025?
There are currently no plans to increase the prices of subsidized products next year, and it has been decided to maintain the same price levels in order to preserve the purchasing power of Tunisians.
