The Agricultural Sector: A Pillar of the National Economy
The agricultural sector is considered, by all economists and according to the figures, a pillar of the national economy, as it represents around 10% of the GDP and employs more than 14% of the active population, despite facing numerous difficulties due to various unpredictable factors.
The Olive Oil Sector: A Key Element of Tunisian Agriculture
This is particularly true for the olive oil sector, which is a key element of Tunisian agriculture, as our country remains a major global producer and exporter of this product. With a production distinguished by its high quality, thanks to extra virgin olive oil and other organic products, Tunisian olive oil is highly prized by the markets of European Union (EU) countries and many other markets around the world, generating significant annual revenue of over 2 billion dinars on average.
Exporting to New Markets
In this spirit, the President of the Republic has emphasized the need to export olive oil to new markets, adding that many countries in Latin America and Asia have expressed their willingness to import our flagship product. To meet this increased global demand, it is essential that Tunisian olive oil is locally packaged and bears the Tunisian flag to ensure its origin is clearly identifiable.
A Record-Breaking Harvest
The Head of State is closely monitoring the current olive harvest campaign, which promises to be exceptional and may even reach a record level, making it essential to ensure the best conditions for effective marketing, both locally and for export.
A Respectable Rank to Defend
Tunisia has a respectable rank to defend, and possibly improve, as it occupies third place globally, with exports of around 4.5 billion dinars in the first eight months of the current year, accounting for 53% of the country's agri-food exports to 66 markets.
Ambitious Forecasts for 2026
Aiming for even higher levels, the forecasts for 2026 plan to consolidate this dynamic by targeting sub-Saharan Africa and Russia, while ensuring complementarity with other sectoral promotional initiatives, as our country currently exports to the main EU countries but seeks to diversify its exports to new markets such as China, the United Kingdom, Latin America, the Gulf, sub-Saharan Africa, and Russia.
Improving Quality and Promotion
To achieve these objectives, the country is called upon to further improve the quality of Tunisian olive oil, with a strengthened focus on extra virgin olive oil and its leading position in the production of organic olive oil, as well as accelerating the already ambitious program to promote Tunisian olive oil with the "Made in Tunisia" label.
A Promising Future for the Olive Oil Sector
Thanks to the increased interest shown by President Kaïs Saïed in this sector, a real consolidation of the olive oil sector and its exportation is expected, especially since a national program has been put in place and has been examined and validated by the main officials, providing a range of innovative measures to promote what is already considered the "green gold".
