Fresh tomatoes are priced at 6 dinars amid a lack of supply and monopoly practices
Tomato prices in Tunisian markets rose to 6 dinars per kilogram amid complaints of conditional sales, while the farmers' union returned the crisis to climate and mediation factors.
These recorded increases coincided with a marked decline in supply co-ordination and a decrease in the volume of quantities offered at retail outlets.
The scarcity of goods has been accompanied by rising complaints from citizens that some traders have resorted to imposing a conditional sale method, where sellers require buyers to purchase other types of vegetables such as pepper to complete the purchase process.
The president of the Tunisian Farmers' Union for Light Fields reiterated this cost to reduce productive areas, decrease crop levels due to climate change and multiple intermediary rings in distribution routes. For its part, the National University of Tomatoes confirmed that the summer fields suffered severe damage that resulted in seedlings dying due to record high temperatures over the past period. These developments come after a wave of heavy rains accompanied by frost hit Kasserine State and specifically the local Foussana delegation, where air volatility caused widespread damage to ready-to-eat citrus crops, which cut supply abruptly and made room for speculators to raise prices.
