Faced with an exceptional production of olive oil this season, Tunisia has resorting to strategic storage to control market balance. This was said, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, MoEz Ben Amor, Managing Director of the National Oil Office (ONH), stating that exports reached 244,000 tonnes at the end of June, an increase of 34 % compared to last year. The pace of exports remains sustained, with a monthly average of 28,000 tonnes.
Despite this dynamism, the revenues from these sales reached 3,029 million dinars, against 4,080 million the previous year. This decline is explained, according to Ben Amor, by the drop in prices on the world market, a direct consequence of an excess of supply, unlike the previous seasons marked by water rarity.
To cope with this overproduction, the State has activated a storage mechanism in order to regulate the offer on the internal and international market. In coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, ONH ensures the preparation of the next campaign through maintenance work on storage infrastructure and the implementation of the necessary measures in consultation with the various players in the sector.
In terms of packaging, exports of olive oil in bottles have already reached 29,000 tonnes at the end of June, exceeding those of the previous season (28,000 tonnes). This figure could cross the 30,000 tonnes mark by the end of the season. An active promotion policy is carried out for this purpose, involving several institutions, including the export promotion center and the technical packaging center.
In addition, Tunisia continues to diversify its international outlets, aimed at a lesser dependence on traditional European markets, notably Italy and Spain, for the benefit of promising markets such as Africa and Asia. However, it remains the leading supplier of the Canadian market.
Finally, on the local market, an effort is also made to encourage national consumption, with the provision of 2.6 million liters of olive oil packaged at a subsidized price of 12,500 millime/liter, as an extension of a program launched the previous season.
