Tunisia-Abdelmajid Ezzar: Agricultural sector is in crisis

The president of the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP), Abdelmajid Ezzar addressed Tuesday, October 27, 2020, the price rise on certain fruits and vegetables.

Speaking to the national Radio, Mr Ezzar explained the rise of the price of certain agricultural products by the absence of control of distribution channels at the wholesale market level. “The price of a kilo of tomatoes from the farmer does not surpass 1.5 dinars but it reaches 3.4 dinars in the markets,” he remarked as an example.

He also addressed the difficulties confronted by poultry farmers and their impact on production value and market prices.

Mr. Ezzar regretted the lack of agricultural training, vaccination and support for farmers, which he stated could improve the production system.He emphasised the need to obtain effective resolutions to the crisis facing the agricultural sector, in particular, to improve productivity and take into account the purchasing power of the citizen.

Ezzar called on the Animal Health Fund to grant compensation for the damage sustained by breeders due to the “blue tongue” disease which attacks cattle whose spread has accelerated, according to the Minister of Agriculture, due to the humid climate and the presence of insects.