The Peasants' Union explains why the prices of tomatoes in Tunisia are so high
The chairman of the Farmers' Union says the price of a kilogram of tomato is 6 dinars due to climate volatility, lack of summer crops and a freeze in industrial conversion prices.
The president of the Tunisian Farmers' Union of Alpine Fields today in Tunisia made official clarifications about the marked rise in prices of fresh tomatoes in wholesale and retail markets. This rise coincides with a growing complaint among consumers about their declining purchasing power in the face of the high cost of basic foodstuffs traded on local markets.
The consumer selling prices of tomatoes in retail markets have reached levels ranging from 4.5 denarii to 6 denarii per kilogram. In return, the farmer sells his produce at prices ranging from 1 dinar to 800 milligrams per kilogram in wholesale and production markets.
Al-Zawahiri reported in a press release that these increases were due to technical and climatic factors, as well as declining production volumes in large agricultural areas. The late autumn crop was damaged by extreme heat waves during the flowering and fruit formation periods, followed by cold waves and agricultural diseases that severely damaged the crops of Sbiba, Foussana and Fériana regions.
The shortage of supply is also due to the end of the natural summer season for manufacturing and consumption since mid-July, causing a gap between agricultural seasons. The crisis has been exacerbated by the freezing of state-specified prices for tomatoes destined for processing plants at 220 milligrams per kilogram without review for nearly six years, while harvest wages alone exceed 270 milligram per kilogram, prompting many producers to abandon this cultivation.
The agricultural sector expects this turmoil to break out as the flow of baccarat production begins and new crops enter the markets within 15 to 20 days, paving the way for a gradual return to supply order and price stability.
