Tunisian Government Focuses on Olive Oil Season 2025-2026
The Head of Government, Sarra Zafrani Zanzeri, chaired a restricted ministerial council on Saturday morning, October 25, 2025, at the Government Palace in the Kasbah, dedicated to monitoring the measures taken for the success of the 2025-2026 olive oil season.
Introduction
In opening the proceedings, the Head of Government emphasized the need to ensure the smooth running of the season at all its stages, from harvesting and storing olives to processing, marketing, and exporting olive oil. She insisted on preserving the quality of the product, strengthening the volume of exports, particularly of packaged oil, and setting up the necessary mechanisms for this purpose.
Key Objectives
She also stressed the importance of promoting local consumption and controlling prices, estimating that Tunisian olive oil should be valued both on the domestic market and internationally. In line with the orientations of the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, Sarra Zafrani Zanzeri recalled that the State is paying particular attention to small farmers, notably through support for processing, storage, and access to preferential rate loans.
Export Strategies
She added that Tunisia is working to open up new export markets, particularly in Latin America and Asia, while encouraging local packaging of olive oil to better assert its origin identity.
Ministerial Presentations
The Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, Ezzedine Bencheikh, presented a detailed report on the preparations for the 2025-2026 season. He recalled that the previous season had recorded a record production level, thanks to a set of measures adopted on November 6, 2024, by the President of the Republic. These measures had notably made it possible to strengthen harvesting, storage, processing, and marketing of olive oil, while preserving the rights of producers and supporting the promotion of the product on the national market.
Previous Campaign Actions
The Minister also reviewed several key actions from the previous campaign, including the implementation by the National Oil Office (ONH) of a storage program for the benefit of producers, oil mills, and exporters, financed by the State and accompanied by subsidies. The ONH had also intervened to directly purchase quantities of olive oil from producers, while the export of bulk oil had been opened up to all private operators. Furthermore, the Tunisian Solidarity Bank (BTS) had granted loans to small producers to finance the harvest campaign.
New Season Preparations
Regarding the new season, several preparatory measures have been retained. Governors have been tasked with ensuring better organization of the harvest calendar, transportation, processing, and marketing. An integrated margin management program will be implemented, with the valorization of excess volumes. The ONH will also organize training sessions for public and private sector technicians to improve the quality of Tunisian olive oil.
Stockage and Financing
A storage program covering 100,000 to 150,000 tons of olive oil for a period of three months will be put in place, with subsidies granted to all stakeholders and additional aid to small farmers. Financing procedures will be simplified to ensure the smooth running of the campaign and allow small producers to access loans on advantageous terms. The ONH will launch, as of 2025, a maintenance and rehabilitation program for storage tanks in its regional centers to increase national conservation capacity.
Diplomatic Efforts
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, presented a diplomatic action plan aimed at consolidating Tunisia's presence on traditional markets and opening up new promising outlets for Tunisian olive oil.
Council Decisions
At the end of the meeting, the restricted ministerial council adopted a series of decisions articulated around several priority axes. On the production side, it was decided to mobilize the necessary workforce, facilitate their transportation and accommodation during the harvest, and give priority to small producers for obtaining subsidies for the acquisition of mechanical harvesting equipment.
Storage and Financing Measures
Regarding storage, the ONH will be responsible for storing between 100,000 and 150,000 tons of olive oil for a period of three months, with specific subsidies for producers. The State will also provide its guarantee to the ONH for the purchase of olive oil from national production, financed by the public and private banking sector. In terms of financing, the Central Bank of Tunisia will intervene with banking institutions to restructure the debts of oil mills that encountered difficulties during the previous season.
Support for Small Producers
Public and private banks will be invited to support small producers throughout the 2025-2026 campaign, from harvesting to marketing and export. The council also decided to extend the deadlines for repatriating export revenues, particularly for distant markets and packaged oil, and to encourage export to target markets.
Local Consumption and Export
To stimulate local consumption, the government plans to reduce commercial margins and entrust the ONH with the sale of packaged olive oil at affordable prices. Classified restaurants and tourist establishments will be invited to contribute to the promotion of Tunisian olive oil. Efforts will also focus on increasing exports to traditional markets, implementing a communication and promotion strategy targeting new markets, and improving existing trade agreements with economic partners.
Governance and Development
Finally, on the governance side, the council decided to launch a strategic study on the development prospects of the olive oil sector, covering production, financing, valorization, and export, as well as a restructuring plan for the National Oil Office.
