Tunisia [VIDEO]: Minister of Trade reassures citizens about the availability of basic goods

In a statement to Tunisie Numerique today, February 18, 2022, the Minister of Commerce, Mrs Fadhila Rebhi reassured citizens regarding the availability of basic goods. “There are two categories of bakeries, the first is divided into 2 categories, category A which produces a 400g loaf, sold at around 230 millimes and category B, which makes the 220g baguette, sold at 190 millimes . These prices have been set since 2008 without revision or modification. The second category is unclassified bakeries, which especially sell sweets and pastries and likewise make supplementary bread (less than 150g) from higher quality flour, and semolina subsidized less than the first category”, she said.

She stressed that there are 3500 classified bakeries and approximately 885 unclassified and not 1300 as argued by the owners of clandestine bakeries. About the change of bread prices, Ms Rebhi clarified that the price of bread planned for family consumption has not been revised and requires yearly 6.4 million quintals of flour reserved for this purpose. “Bread or extra under 150g is made by unclassified bakeries from premium flour and semolina and is not a core business. The modification was carried out by the latter, when we removed the 50kg packaging unit for flour and semolina and substituted it with 1, 5, 10 and 20kg with the purpose of regulating the consumption of these products and for hygiene issues to maintain the health of citizens, as you know the sale of these products in bulk exposes the consumer to hazards”, she continued.

Regarding the 400g and 220g bread, Ms Rebhi communicated that their price will not be revised and will stay the same, highlighting the availability of basic products in Tunisia, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.

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