The Washington embassy in Tunisia announced on Friday the arrival of a ship loaded with more than 25,000 tons of American wheat to meet the country’s needs.
This shipment “aims to help the Tunisian people cope with the grain shortage resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” according to a statement from the embassy.
Russia has started what it describes as a special military operation against its neighbor Ukraine since February 24, 2022, which has prompted many European capitals and Washington to impose severe sanctions on Moscow, knowing that Russia and Ukraine are among the largest grain producers in the world.
In its statement, the embassy explained that “The United States of America and the World Bank, in partnership with the Office (Tunisien) des Céréales, provided this basic ingredient for Tabouna (Tunisian artisan bread, ed. ), couscous, pasta and other grain-based foods”.
US Ambassador to Tunisia Joey Hood, for his part, said in a speech posted on the embassy’s Facebook account, that “this contribution aims to ensure the availability of American wheat for Tunisian families, in anticipation of ‘Eid al-Fitr (celebrated this Friday), and especially the families who sorely need it.”
According to official estimates, Tunisia imports around 70% of its cereal needs. Tunisia is in the grip of the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1956, which crisis has been aggravated by the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects of the war in Ukraine.
The country is experiencing water shortages and declining dam reserves due to climate change and the (last) three years of drought. The high temperatures and low rainfall recorded in Tunisia negatively affected many crops, including cereal production.
