Tunisia’s grain harvest fell 47% this year because of the drought that has forced farmers to reduce sowing, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Harvest declined to 1.37 million tons against 2.61 million tons a year earlier, the FAO indicated in a country report published online Wednesday. The harvest involves 1.02 million tons of wheat and 320,000 tons of barley and other cereals.
“The low rainfall during the planting season in late 2012, resulted in a decrease in planted surface,” FAO added.
“The harvest was below average despite widespread rains from mid-January to end of March. In Tunisia, agricultural production varies considerably from year to year based on significant rainfall variations. ”
Imports of cereals in Tunisia may climb to 3.57 million tons during the 2013-14 marketing campaign which began on July 1, about 30 percent more than the previous period and 23 percent more the five-year average, according to the FAO.
