London- The Tunisian government must come to the aid of small farmers by providing seeds and essential chemical fertilizers, says ImpACT International for Human Rights Policies.
It is the major crop season in Tunisia and for days, farmers have protested shortages that endanger their livelihoods. The London-based think tank has investigated the protests in the Beja and Jendouba governorates, receiving complaints about the government's failure to supply the seeds and fertilizers necessary despite the onset of planting season on which they and the country depend to produce adequate food.
In most of the wheat-producing governorates in Tunisia, farmers are experiencing a significant shortage of high-quality seeds due to the inability of both private and state companies to provide sufficient quantities.
Farmers in Tunisia are experiencing a significant shortage of high-quality seeds due to the inability of both private and state companies to provide sufficient quantities.
With its vast, fertile agricultural land and suitable climate, Beja governorate is the main source of grains in Tunisia, providing about 25% of the national supply of wheat, barley, legumes and fodder. However, farmer suffer from many structural problems that have negatively affected their ability to produce. In addition, to the lack of seeds, farmers do not have sufficient quantities of a basic fertilizer, an official at The Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fishing in Beja told ImpACT.
Government agencies provided only small quantities to the sector and smallholder farmers did not receive any, protesters say. They complain that government agencies are ignoring their demands; they will not be able to save their crops if that doesn’t change. If they don’t receive fertilizer and seeds soon, or at least compensation, they will not be able to pay off their debts.
A meeting with government officials was held on 12 October, in which Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries Aqsa Al-Bahri, Minister of Economy and Finance Ali Al-Kali and the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines Salwa Al-Saghir participated. During the meeting, the officials called on the Tunisian Chemical Group to supply the farmers with 60,000 tons of fertilizer, worth 45 million dinars, in three installments as soon as possible. However, that has not occurred.
The failure of the Tunisian government to meet the needs of grain farmers will increase the country's deficit in grain production and aggravate the economic crisis in the country
Meanwhile, the seed supply was in danger, because companies contract with farmers in exchange for their harvests at prices set by government.
Tunisia has faced a growing deficit in grain production since 2018. As a result, the government has resorted to imports. In the middle of the last year, a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that Tunisia's grain imports for the 2020-2021 season will increase by 20% compared to the previous season, reaching 3.8 million tons.
The agriculture sector in Tunisia contributes 12% to the country’s GDP and employs about 13.4% of the workforce. The total land area is 16.4 million hectares.
The failure of government agencies to meet the needs of grain farmers, leading to significant financial losses, will increase the country's deficit in grain production and aggravate the economic crisis in the country, ImpACT points out. Tunisian government agencies, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, should urgently provide the necessary and agreed quantities of fertilizer to farmers.