Agriculture in Tunisia: Organization, Production, and Trade

Excerpts from the report Summary: Tunisia is making a serious attack on its agricultural problems. The foundations for an improved agricultural economy have been laid and remedial programs are being implemented. Redistribution of farmland takes high priority in the current 10-year program for agriculture. Agricultural extension activities, essential in land reform, are being emphasized. Particular attention is directed to introducing high-yield irrigation crops into areas previously unirrigated. An effort is being made to get maximum production from the central and southern sections of the country, which are relatively underdeveloped agriculturally but which make up more than 70 percent of the nation's area. Comprehensive livestock improvement programs are also planned. Grains usually account for about one-third of the total income from agriculture. Although Tunisia is a net importer of ordinary wheat varieties, sizable surpluses of durum wheat and barley occur frequently. In 1960-61, Tunisia ranked third in the Mediterranean basin in production of olive oil, which ordinarily accounts for a fifth of Tunisian farm income. Livestock contributes nearly as much as olive oil to the value of agricultural production. Citrus fruits, grapes (mainly for wine), dates, fresh vegetables, and esparto(alfa) grass are also important.