During a meeting held Tuesday at the Carthage Palace with the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, Kaïs Saïed took the opportunity to comment, without explicitly quoting him, on the recent press release from the Interprofessional group of dates (GID) excluding Morocco from the list of markets concerned by the launch of the 2025-2026 export campaign.
The head of state strongly criticized what he described as “irresponsible statement”evoking an act which “requires explanations from its author” and denouncing “the exclusion of a brother country”.
“Our brothers remain our brothers, how could one brother exclude another, even in the event of divergence in approaches or positions? Our choices belong to us, no one has to interfere, but the bonds of brotherhood are our history, even our destiny,” declared Saïed, in a barely veiled allusion to the controversy between Tunisia and Morocco.
This release comes after a controversial decision by the GID dated October 10, 2025, announcing the start of the date export season from October 13 around all markets except the Moroccan marketwithout specifying the reasons for this exclusion. A subsequent clarification from the same organization, however, affirmed that exports to Morocco will begin at the end of October, the time for late varieties – particularly those from the Kébili region – to reach maturity.
A promising season, but under implicit diplomatic tension
The President of the Republic also highlighted the record harvest expected this year, not only for dates, but also for wheat, olive oil and other strategic crops. He thanked “the beneficial rain after years of drought which weighed heavily on national food security”.
Concerning olive oil, Kaïs Saïed ordered the government to provide more support to small farmers, in particular by facilitating access to credit and improving storage capacities. He also called for a diversified export strategy:
“We must conquer new markets, in Latin America as well as in Asia, and encourage packaging in Tunisia so that our products proudly carry the national flag. »
