Kasbah: A small Cabinet meeting was held on Wednesday at the Kasbah, dedicated to examining the agricultural sector.
According to Agence Tunis Afrique Presse, during the meeting, Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh, presented a comprehensive report on the sector's achievements over the 2021-2025 period, along with an assessment of the main issues and key challenges, and an overview of the sector's assets, strengths, and opportunities for development. The presentation included the strategic vision for Tunisian agriculture for the 2026-2030 period, based on inclusive agriculture that supports development and strengthens food and water security.
This strategic vision aims to achieve sustainability in natural resource development, limit climate-related impacts, and reinforce food security as a pillar of national sovereignty. Additionally, it calls for structural reforms and measures to enhance production, productivity, competitiveness, and exports, while ensuring the safety and quality of agricultural products and implementing a policy of profitable pricing.
The report emphasized the need for an inclusive agricultural environment that integrates within an appropriate institutional framework, improves rural living conditions, and promotes regional development. The minister detailed the current state and future plans for the grain, olive oil, animal feed, livestock, and dairy systems, with an action plan and programs set for implementation between 2026-2030 to ensure national food security and bolster food sovereignty.
The grain system's strategic orientations include reducing climate challenge impacts, increasing resilience and grain yields, and ensuring production sustainability to improve national self-sufficiency rates, particularly for durum wheat. This involves developing field crop production systems through appropriate crop rotation, promoting irrigated grain, and modernizing intervention mechanisms across production stages.
Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri highlighted the state's commitment, under the President's directives, to a comprehensive strategic approach for structural reform of the cereals sector, aimed at consolidating food sovereignty and national food security. This approach targets farmer support, income improvement, and production increase encouragement, while ensuring access to seeds and fertilizers at subsidized prices.
The olive oil sector's strategic orientations focus on improving production and productivity through targeted programs, including olive grove rejuvenation and professional organization of the production chain. Emphasis is placed on enhancing Tunisia's olive oil sector performance, international visibility, and support for small farmers.
For the feed, livestock, and dairy systems, strategic orientations for 2026-2030 include improving feed quality, adopting modern technologies, and valorizing non-conventional water resources. The strategy for the livestock sector involves national herd rebuilding, productivity improvement, and enhanced animal health coverage.
Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri reiterated the state's policy to prioritize national herd rebuilding, food security strengthening, food sovereignty consolidation, and self-sufficiency achievement.