Tunisia: Fighting the drought to maintain the agricultural sector
The Ministry of Agriculture in Tunisia revealed a national plan to confront the drought and this initiative includes measures to maintain fruit trees and livestock sector, and has also developed a new program to the crisis of shortage of rainfall, where the ministry will be covered by campaign to irrigate olive trees and almonds.
The agricultural sector in Tunisia is one of the most vital sectors that contribute to the economic cycle as a distinct accounting for 40% of food exports to the outside, but the peasants are facing several difficulties in covering their product costs in light of the high cost of farming tools and fertilizers and manpower in this sector.
Peasants are denouncing the absence of the role of the state and its support for farmers, particularly the shortage of dams and the lack of rain, and with the continuing differences between the farmer and the state, the agricultural sector is witnessing a significant decline, especially after the increasing of urban sprawl on agricultural land and the spread of arid land.
The labor in the agricultural sector are desperately complaining of the difficulty of hard work and the lack of revenue because of poor general production for farmers. Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, in turn, stressed the ministry’s interest in finding solutions that protect farmers and their products and provide support for farmers and livestock to protect the Tunisian economy in light of the lack of rain water. It is noteworthy that the Tunisian Agriculture Minister Saad al-Siddiq, said in the past month that the country suffers from a lack of rainfall by 30 percent and that the Ministry of Agriculture has developed a plan to cope with drought.