Tunisia expects grain harvest to rise by 64% this season: minister

Tunisia’s grain harvest to rise to 1.8-million metric tons this season, agriculture minister Ezzedine Ben Cheikh said on Wednesday, up more than 64% from last year's harvest, marking the country’s strong season in five years after consecutive drought seasons.

The sharp increase is attributed to improved rainfall in key agricultural regions.

"It is a good season with about 1.8-million metric tons,” Ben Cheikh said.

Last year's grain crop was around 1.1-million metric tons.

The country, which is suffering a deep financial crisis, was badly affected by the rise in global wheat prices and successive dry seasons.

The anticipated production growth will enable Tunisia to reduce its imports of grain.

Over the last decade, Tunisia has averaged about 1.5-million metric tons in annual grain harvests, while it has consumed around 3.4-million metric tons per year.

Reuters