On Monday, Ezzedine Bencheikh, the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, made an unannounced visit to the branch office of the National Olive Oil Office in Cité Zouhour.
During this visit, he urged olive oil producers to increase the storage of their products with the Office to stabilize prices and maintain the quality of this strategic product.
According to an Agriculture Ministry statement, Bencheikh emphasized the importance of providing more advice, assistance, and services to clients and farmers to ensure their rights and protect this vital national asset.
The purpose of this visit was to assess the progress of the national olive oil storage program for the 2024-2025 season. The minister oversaw the intake operations of olive oil, which were conducted either through purchase or storage. He also listened to the concerns of farmers and officials in charge of storage operations.
Ezzedine Bencheikh then proceeded to the main office of the National Olive Oil Office to monitor its activities and ensure that storage operations were running smoothly across all its branches, as well as to check the supply to the local market.
Furthermore, since Friday, December 13, 2024, the National Olive Oil Office has been making available to cooperatives, ministerial associations, public structures, and institutions, quantities of extra virgin olive oil at preferential prices set at 12 dinars per liter. This initiative aims to allow citizens to consume this essential product while supporting national efforts to promote Tunisian products.
The Agriculture Ministry noted that the implementation of this national olive oil promotion program on the domestic market follows a directive issued by the Prime Minister on December 12, 2024. This directive implements the directives of the President of the Republic, aimed at enhancing support for farmers and assisting them in their efforts to store and market olive oil.
