The government approves a funding package for the successful olive oil season
The Cabinet is allocating 150 million dinars to the National Oil Board and loans to small farmers to secure the domestic market and rationalize prices.
The government approved a package of measures and financial measures to keep pace with the harvest season and the transfer of olive oil 2026-2027, during a narrow cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sara Zaafrani Zenzri at the Cabinet Palace in Tunis. The decisions are aimed at pricing, securing the balance of the internal market, supporting small farmers and controlling production costs.
The resolutions included supporting the National Oil Debt to purchase volumes of national output with joint public-private banking financing up to a ceiling of 150 million dinars, enabling it to play a regulatory role in the market. The measures also included the allocation of soft loans for the benefit of small farmers worth 20 million dinars funded through the Tunisian Solidarity Bank, with priority given to them in using grants to acquire machine-generated equipment.
The National Oil Board has been tasked with implementing a programme where necessary to store up to 60,000 tonnes of olive oil for three months, with the monitoring of deposit grants with a financial ceiling not exceeding 20 million dinars. On the export side, it is decided to raise the share of the maritime transport subsidy mandated by the Fund for the Promotion of Exports of Canned Olive Oil from 50% to 60% during 2027 to boost external competitiveness.
These decisions came after reviewing the results of the 2025-2026 season, where national production recorded 500 thousand tonnes compared to 303 thousand tonnes for the extended period between 2021 and 2025, and exports amounted to 399 thousand tonnes until late September 2026.
Legislatively, the 2027 Finance Bill included the creation of a 100 million dinar financing line for the period 2027-2030 through the National Agricultural Bank to grant seasonal and investment loans. The arrangements include the creation of a private account in the public treasury under the name Olive Oil System Account to finance permanent storage allowances and maintenance of infrastructure for warehouses and tanks.