2023-09-16 09:50:58
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries is putting on its armor and working hard to finalize preparations for the 2023/2024 agricultural campaign. With self-sufficiency in durum wheat in focus, the department has taken exceptional measures to support the objectives set out. Between easing access to agricultural credit, supplying selected seeds and supplying cereal farmers with sufficient quantities of chemical fertilizers, the department is not skimping on efforts to ensure a successful agricultural season.
Optimizing yields and revitalizing the sectors as a focus, the department has increased its efforts to guarantee optimal conditions for a successful agricultural campaign and above all to prepare for all scenarios in an uncertain climatic context. Because the ending agricultural year has not been easy: the difficult climatic conditions have had a strong impact on the yield of agricultural operations.
Food security was put to the test and entire sectors had to bear the brunt of a grueling drought and an unprecedented rise in temperatures. Race results; imports of cereals, one of the pillars of the Tunisian agri-food industry, have increased, de facto affecting the food trade balance.
Indeed, the department of agriculture has planned a whole range of exceptional measures aimed at bringing to a successful conclusion the agricultural campaign which promises to be a good omen: The production of olives, olive oil and dates record this year a remarkable increase delighting producing farmers and replenishing the State coffers in foreign currency.
Although the cereals sector remains dependent on unpredictable weather, the ministry is leaving nothing to chance and has planned an action plan which aims to strengthen the country’s food security.
According to Saloua Zouari Ben Hadid, CEO of the Cereals Office, self-sufficiency in durum wheat is not a mirage. To achieve this objective, the ministry first of all worked to increase the areas programmed for large crops for the 2023-2024 campaign, which currently amount to 1,219 thousand hectares, including 7% of irrigated areas, an increase of 24.5% compared to last year. Speaking at a conference held on Thursday, September 14 at the ministry’s headquarters, the official added that the needs for selected seeds are estimated, for this year, at 420,000 quintals, including 332 thousand durum wheat.
The Cereals Office has collected 278,000 quintals of selected seeds from various seed production companies and plans to supply 180,000 quintals. To guarantee optimization of cereal production, the office will favor appropriate production areas as well as irrigated areas and will cover the regions’ needs for controlled durum wheat seeds, in addition to the quantities currently produced and placed on the market by the Tunisian chemical group.
Easing access to financing
The CEO added that an exceptional program for the supply of controlled durum wheat intended for sowing was launched during the previous month of June. This program supports the objectives of self-sufficiency in durum wheat in Tunisia.
It made it possible to collect, store and control a million quintals of durum wheat intended for sowing. Regarding chemical fertilizers, essential inputs for cereal crops, the Department of Agriculture plans to import 100,000 t, of which a first batch of 12,000 will be available by the end of the month, in the objective of supplying cereal farmers with sufficient quantities of these agricultural inputs.
The nerve of the war, the financing of farmers has also been the subject of measures targeting the empowerment of cereal producers and coming to the aid of farmers undermined by a difficult economic situation.
Indeed, the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the BTS, has made available to small farmers an envelope of 17 million dinars, in addition to the measures which have been taken to simplify and relax access to agricultural credits. Thus, to obtain a seasonal loan, the farmer only has to present his identity card and a certificate of exploitation of agricultural land. Also, the deadlines for obtaining credits have been reduced to only 5 days.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the prices of seeds selected for the 2023-2024 campaign will amount to 160 dinars per quintal for durum wheat, 130 dinars per quintal for soft wheat, and 120 dinars per quintal for soft wheat. barley and triticale.
An additional rate of 3% will be imposed on the sale price per quintal of selected seed varieties which have been the subject of commercial exploitation contracts, in respect of rights to obtain seeds by hybridization.
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