Hit by drought, the country, already a net importer of cereals, will have to find additional financing to pay for wheat imports. A situation that is found throughout the Maghreb.
Tunisian authorities on Friday announced restrictions in the supply and use of drinking water for individuals and agriculture. These measures should come into force on Monday. The cereal harvest should reach 200 to 250,000 tons against 750,000 last year. In question, the serious drought problems recorded for a year. The lack of water combined with numerous field fires reduced harvests.
This is more bad news for the Tunisian economy and state finances. The country, which already imports most of the cereals it consumes, will have to redouble its efforts to make up for a deficit of nearly 500,000 tonnes, due to poor harvests. At the current price of wheat on international markets, this represents an additional cost of 130 million euros.
The situation that Tunisia is going through is all the more dramatic in that it is likely to persist. Water reservoirs and dams are almost dry. The largest in the country, that of Sidi Salem, is only filled to 17% of its capacity, which means that irrigation will be difficult again this year.
The Tunisian situation is identical throughout the Maghreb, notes agricultural market expert François Luguenot who notes that the countries are caught ” in scissors between declining agricultural production and increasing needs “. If Algeria can count on its immense gas resources to make ends meet, this is not the case for Tunisia or Egypt, two countries facing an increasingly acute financial crisis.
