The price of tomatoes is 6 dinars, and it upsets consumers in the markets
Consumers complain of conditional sales and a lack of supply in Tunisian markets, and the farmers' union complains of high prices due to declining crops and multiple intermediary rings.
Tunisian markets today, November 2, 2026, recorded a shortage in quantities of tomatoes on offer, amid a widespread wave of complaints among citizens after the price per kilogram in retail stores swelled between 5 and 6 dinars. This rise is accompanied by a significant disruption in the supply of various points of sale, which has created difficulties for consumers in obtaining their daily needs from this staple.
Citizens in a number of markets complained that some traders resorted to imposing illegal requirements to complete the purchase process, including requiring the consumer to buy quantities of pepper or other types of vegetables for tomatoes. Consumers demanded that the Ministry of Commerce's economic surveillance teams intensify market inspection campaigns to track violations and ensure affordable agricultural products.
The president of the Tunisian Farmers' Union, Maidan al-Faiwi, explained that the price crisis is mainly due to falling production due to extreme heat waves that have melted flowers, followed by frost waves and crop-damaged agricultural diseases. Al-Zawahiri added that the rise is also fueled by multiple intermediary rings between farmers and consumers and higher profit margins, along with the official price stagnation aimed at conversion from about five or six years ago.
Conditional selling practices face a strict legal framework, with Law No. 36 of 2015 on competition and price regulation in Section 31 criminalizing consumer compulsion to buy goods for another. Section 47 of the same law also provides for financial penalties for offenders ranging from 200 to 10,000 dinars to address violations recorded in distribution channels.
The Tunisian Farmers' Union had previously announced through its Alfiani field president that fresh tomato prices had risen markedly in various wholesale and retail markets, providing explanations as to the reasons for the decline in crops and their direct impact on livelihoods.
Views are headed for a potential supply break with the union's forecast that tomato production will gradually enter markets over a two- to three-week period, a forward-looking step that is expected to contribute to adjusting supply size and restoring price stability to consumers.
