The phosphate production will decline to 2.8 million tonnes by the end of 2026
Official data reveal a deficit in achieving the government's phosphate production target despite a 160 million dinar investment in mining.
The statement came during a joint parliamentary hearing to discuss the ministry's mission within the draft general budget.
These figures reveal a wide gap compared to the government's previously set annual target of 4.5 million tonnes. The quantities transferred to the conversion units were 1.3 million tonnes, while the actual volume of phosphate converted reached 1.6 million tonnes.
The minister explained that this decline was recorded despite the observation and implementation of investments in the mining sector worth 160 million dinars. This decline was attributed to the disruption of the rail transport fleet and the obsolescence of extraction equipment in Gafsa's phosphate mines, while the structural stumble of the sector continued compared with 2010 levels of over 8 million tonnes.
The sector file was presented to the Cabinet to take urgent measures aimed at saving the system and restoring normal production coordination, based on the journal Organized Mines for Mining and Licensing Activities and the regulatory legislative framework for discussing financial laws.
The ministry is aiming to adopt a 2027-2035 business plan to rehabilitate conversion plants, transport networks and acquire new mining equipment. This long-term plan aims to restore production capacity to 10 million tonnes by 2035.