Climate change in Tunisia has greatly hindered Olive crop production and hampered the production of Olive Oil owing to the emerging unfavourable conditions at play.
Tunisia’s average export price for olive oil inctreased by 44 percent in 2022. Experts, however, say revenues from Tunisian olive oil could even be higher since its exports to Europe are in bulk.
Tunisia’s olive oil production is expected to fall by 20 per cent to nearly 200,000 tons this season due to climate change.
“Exporting virgin olive oil to Europe in bulk produces the margins of Tunisian exporters. Our main competitors in Italy, Greece, and Spain are the ones making real money with the bottle of olive oil, without mentioning its origin, more exports do not reflect the sector’s problems. Moreover, the weather is affecting the volume of olive crops”, an Olive crop farmer said.
Authorities say the combination of unseasonable, heat, and drought means the production of olive oil dates and all agricultural products will fall this season. The situation threatens food security in Tunisia.
“Tunisia is going through a challenging period. Climate change is affecting all aspects. Especially food production, high temperatures, and water scarcity will have a negative impact on food security in the years to come in Tunisia”, an official said.
Europe remains the largest destination for Tunisian olive oil shipments due to the strong demand for the EU internal market and the agreement that allows Tunisian exporters to ship up to 56,700 tons of duty-free olive oil to the EU annually.
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The leading importer of Tunisian dates is Morocco with 19 per cent of quantities exported, followed by Libya, 9.4 per cent, and Italy 7.9 per cent.
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A recent study by the National Observatory of Agriculture revealed that olive oil and date production in Tunisia are expected to fall soon.
The Union of Farmers has urged the state to find an urgent solution to this problem and to compensate for their losses.
