Tunisia exported 100,000 tons of olive oil in the period between November 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011, for a value of 400 million dinars (MTD), i.e., recording an 11% growth, said Mr. Chokri Bayoudh, representative of the General Management of Agricultural Production.
The official also said that the olive harvest will start next November 1 and continue till late February 2012, noting that this operation will provide between 30 and 40 million workdays.
“Olive growing,” he said, “is an income source for nearly 390,000 farmers, out of a total of 510,000 operating nationwide, i.e., nearly 65%.”
Tunisia, which has today 74 million olive trees, has 1,740 million hectares of olive groves, corresponding to one third of the country’s arable lands.
