Tunisia is experiencing this year an agricultural season deemed successful according to the first estimates. The cereal campaign promises to be exceptional, with a storage capacity valued at 7.8 million quintals. However, a major concern persists among farmers: that of the collection and storage of cereals.
Visiting the governorate of Kairouan, the director general of the Cereal Office, Saloua Zouari, highlighted the logistical efforts deployed to anticipate a strong production, in particular the use of temporary outdoor storage, already experienced in previous seasons.
However, many fear a scenario similar to that of 2018, when tons of wheat had been abandoned in the rain and exposed to bad weather for almost a year, resulting in their deterioration.
The authorities thus intensify their efforts to guarantee adequate storage conditions. In this context, Saloua Zouari, assured, in a declaration relayed by radio Diwan FM, that all the measures are taken to secure the collection operation in the best conditions.
Faced with a possible saturation of storage capacities, Zouari has not excluded the use of temporary storage in the open air, a solution envisaged in the event of a production peak. This method, already used in the past, is based on specific technical rules: the use of special pallets and tarpaulins to avoid deterioration of grains. However, many farmers remain skeptical about its effectiveness, fearing a return of past failures and a rehearsal of the 2018 fiasco.
Zouari has also indicated that coordination efforts are underway with the collection centers to identify additional spaces, in particular with a view to an overall volume estimated at 7.8 million quintals.
According to the latest data from the National Observatory for Agriculture (March 2025), the total collection capacity is estimated at 7.63 million quintals, with 548,000 quintals of extensions in several governorates such as Béja, Siliana, Jendouba, Bizerte, Kairouan and Zaghouan.
The cereal office currently has a storage capacity of 4.3 million quintals, to which are added 475,000 additional quintals.
To cope with this logistical pressure, several measures have been announced, in particular the strengthening of the role of the National Railway Company in the transport of cereals; Coordination with the Ministry of the Interior to temporarily suspend the 22 -ton load limit for trucks carrying cereals, etc.
Zouari also announced that the Minister of Agriculture will unveil the official purchase prices of the various cereal varieties on the occasion of the National Day of Agriculture, on May 12, while confirming the maintenance of the special premium granted to cereal farmers during the last two campaigns.
