Tunisia Changing to Organic to Meet Rising Demand for Dates, Fruit

Tunis — Tunisia has extended its qualification in the area of organic products continually over the last decade. "Organic products, known under the hallmark Bio-Tunisia, are becoming more and more important on the local market and are being demanded by more and more on the international market as well," says Elke Peiler, project manager foodstuff sector of the German-Tunisian IHK, as quoted, on Monday, by Dutch website Freshplaza.com.

Dates are a Tunisian trademark very closely linked to the country. Dates have also become the most important product in the organic sector. In 2011, Freshplaza reports, 6,000 tons of organic dates were harvested in Tunisia, of which 4,000 tons (67%) were exported.

Sixty-eight per cent of these exports went to Germany, 11% to the United States and 7% to Morocco. At present, about 1,000 hectares of date orchards have been certified "organic." Most of these are in south-eastern Tunisia.

The country's north-eastern region is eminently suited for citrus cultivation, especially the Cap Bon peninsula.

Seven Tunisian producers have been successful in obtaining the certificate and already exported organic oranges and lemons. It is the intention to increase the production consequently.

Also, in the northern area, the increase of the organic cultivation is going in the right direction. The certified area last year went up from 2,500 to 6,000 hectares and will be used for the cultivation of fruit, vegetables and grain, but also for medicinal plants and aromatic plants.

The organic sector is actively supported financially by Government. The Agriculture Ministry actually has ambitious plans: the area used for organic agriculture and the number of organic companies must be increased.

Up to 2014, the present export yields must be increased from 44 million euros to about 60 million euros.

With the present export value of the organic sector Tunisia is in second place of African countries and twenty-fourth worldwide.

Freshplaza.com is an independent Dutch news source for companies operating in the global fruit and vegetables sector.