National Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (ANPME) Sounds Alarm Over "Dangerous Escalation" of Informal Coffee Market
In a press release issued on Tuesday, May 19, the business association expressed its strong discontent with the proliferation of coffee outside of legal channels, condemning a blatant breach of equality of opportunities between structured and law-abiding enterprises and clandestine networks.
According to data shared by the association, contraband coffee is now being sold at prices that defy all competition, ranging from 20 to 25 dinars per kilogram, with free delivery for bulk orders. This is a major economic anomaly, considering that the official price of coffee per kilogram on the official market is around 34.500 dinars.
For the ANPME, such a price gap can only be explained by the exponential growth of illicit trade, a trend particularly visible in border areas where prices are subject to even more aggressive discounts.
The impact of these fraudulent practices is heavy on the Tunisian economy. The organization highlights that this unfair competition is suffocating legitimate SMEs, weakening investment, and directly threatening the sustainability of jobs.
Moreover, this loss of revenue deprives the state of precious tax revenues, while distorting the rules of fair competition on the national market.
The ANPME reminds that legitimate operators are burdened with tax, social, and logistical charges, while adhering to strict standards and sanitary norms.
Conversely, the parallel economy prospers with impunity and outside of any control, putting the future of the formal sector at risk.
In the face of this crisis, the association urges competent authorities to react energetically by intensifying controls on smuggling routes and clandestine distribution networks.
It demands urgent measures to protect legitimate businesses, as well as a strict and inflexible application of the law to all actors in the supply chain.
Finally, the organization calls for the development of a genuine national strategy to curb the expansion of the informal sector, while emphasizing the need to protect consumers from dubious products, completely exempt from sanitary control.
The protection of the national economy and the survival of SMEs depend today on a genuine willingness to tackle parallel trade.
For the ANPME, this is the only possible path to restore a fair business climate, ensuring the rights of the state, entrepreneurs, and citizens.
