Tunis/Tunisia — The Tunisian government is seeking, as part of its reform programme to achieve self-sufficiency in durum wheat by increasing the profitability of national crops and reducing imports.
In a document monitoring the implementation of the national reform programme released last Saturday, the Prime Ministry said it is extending durum wheat crop to 800,000 hectares and providing grain growers with almost 400,000 quintals of selected seeds in addition to the necessary inputs (fertilizer and others, etc.).
The government’s programme also aims to improve storage capacities as well as upgrade structures and silos for collecting and preserving seeds.
The measures planned by the government are a response to the challenges caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine, one of the main grain producing countries in the world and Tunisia’s grain suppliers.
The issue of food security in Tunisia is mainly dependent on grain supply, due to a diet based on grain products and their derivatives.
Le pays est dépendant d’une culture céréalière pluviale à environ 94 %. Or, avec les aléas climatiques, celles-ci offrent une production non seulement fluctuante, mais toujours bien en dessous de la demande.
Tunisia relies on 94% of rain-fed cereal cultivation. Yet, with climate variations, this leads not only to fluctuating production but also one that is always below the demand.
Tunisia was among the countries impacted by the war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia. This new situation has disrupted grain exports at a time when world stocks were already limited, therefore increasing the risk of a large-scale food crisis.