Secretary of State to the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, in charge of Water Resources, Hamadi Habaieb, called during a working meeting for the development of an action plan to ensure the proper transportation and storage of grain.
According to a statement from the ministry, the meeting aimed to review preparations for the 2025/2026 grain collection campaign and define the necessary measures before operations begin.
Habaieb deemed it essential to mobilize all efforts to guarantee the success of this campaign and ensure the necessary conditions for its smooth execution.
The meeting focused on legal and organizational aspects, including the specifications for grain collection, as well as the seasonal decree setting prices, payment methods, transfer, and storage of grain.
The participants also emphasized the need to facilitate financing procedures for the campaign and optimize the capacity of storage and collection centers, as well as human and logistical resources.
Additionally, 120 agents from the Grain Office will benefit from awareness sessions on calibration, sampling, and stock preservation.
Representatives from the ministry, the Grain Office, central cooperatives, and private collectors participated in the meeting, marking a key step in the rigorous preparation for the successful execution of the 2025/2026 collection campaign.
Cultivation of 1.173 million of grain
Tunisia plans to cultivate 1.173 million hectares for the 2024-2025 season, an increase from the 972,000 hectares of the previous season. In 2023-2024, the country harvested 6.7 million quintals, despite a decrease due to unfavorable climatic conditions.
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, from the General Directorate of Agricultural Production, recently announced that Tunisia cultivated about 972,000 hectares, including 76,000 irrigated and suffered losses on 450,000 hectares. The yield of irrigated grain was 17 quintals per hectare, despite an overall decrease in production.
For the next season, the ministry will increase cultivated areas and provide 300,000 quintals of quality seeds. 220,000 tons of ammonium nitrate will be available, with at least 70,000 tons to be imported.
Prices for fertilizers and seeds will be maintained, and a budget of 8.383 million dinars will be allocated to support small farmers and agricultural cooperatives.
In recent years, Tunisia has faced challenging climatic conditions. Grain production, affected by various unfavorable factors, has significantly decreased compared to forecasts for a normal year, prompting the country to rely more on imports to cover its consumption needs.
It is worth noting that Tunisia covers about 70% of its total grain needs through domestic production, but its harvest varies from year to year due to meteorological factors.
