Tunis — Over 3 million Tunisians are faced with the threat of food insecurity, said President of the Tunisian Centre for Global Security Studies (French: CTESG) Ezzedine Zayani.
This includes 1.5 million who will have to deal with this, Zayani further said referring to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022.
Speaking at a conference held Saturday in Tunis under the theme of “Food Security and Sovereignty and the Right to Food in Tunisia,” Zayani warned against the current food situation worldwide and especially in Tunisia “which is at considerable risk.”
To this end, the official called for taking necessary measures to address this real threat. The ” simplest dishes are very expensive these days due to inflation and the worsening purchase power.”
He likewise called on stakeholders to urgently consider new solutions and “renew with the foundations of Tunisia’s agricultural policy dating back to the early years of independence”.
In this respect, he reminded of the changes in the agricultural situation due to climate change which has resulted in a major water shortage. Seawater desalination is recommended along with the need to support farmers to encourage them to keep up their activities so as to avoid “food poverty.”
“We are now witnessing the emergence of a new world, following the Russia-Ukraine war, in which countries suffering from food insecurity have to align their policies with those of major wheat-producing powers,” he added. .
To avoid such pressures, Zayani called for focusing on agriculture in Tunisia.