Secretary of State in charge of Agricultural Production Omar Bahi said Thursday the parallel market in Tunisia provides between 60 and 70% of total seed needs in a country that suffers a fodder deficit of 20 to 30%.
Speaking at the opening of a national workshop on the state of the fodder and pastoral seeds production and sale system (October 6 and 7, 2016), Bahi said that the vulnerability of the fodder sector is explained by lack of clear strategy that focuses on the main circles of production; namely fodder and pasture seeds and organization of the market to meet the needs of farmers.
The Secretary of State has also indicated that the average fodder and pasture acreage is estimated in Tunisia at about 330 thousand hectares of which 50,000 hectares irrigated contributing 30% to meeting the needs livestock.
He also reiterated the need to upgrade the fodder resource sector with the objective of enhancing the coverage of the livestock sector needs which represents 35% of agricultural production and 4% of gross domestic product.
Bahi called to encourage research aimed at solving the problems of seed production, by mobilizing funds from the current year.
