Regional Council of Ben Arous Holds Extended Working Session to Discuss Wheat Flour Extraction Rate and Whole Grain Bread
A working session was held on Friday at the headquarters of the Regional Council of Ben Arous to follow up on the implementation of the joint decision regarding the increase in the wheat flour extraction rate and the generalization of whole grain bread at the regional level.
The meeting allowed representatives from concerned departments and structures to be heard, evaluated the level of engagement of various stakeholders in the application of this decision at the regional level, and examined the causes of the shortage and the pending issues that hinder the generalization of this type of flour in bakeries.
According to statements made to the TAP agency by Marouane Zian, a member of the National Council of Regions and Districts, this session aimed to evaluate the respect of the implementation of the joint decision made by the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries and the Minister of Commerce and Export Development on April 2, 2026. This decision sets the wheat flour and semolina extraction rate, defines the different types of semolina from hard wheat and flour from soft wheat intended for the subsidized bread, increases this rate by 78% to 85%, and officially adopts the "subsidized whole grain bread".
The participants analyzed in detail the practical difficulties that prevent the availability of this type of flour in subsidized bakeries in the Ben Arous governorate. They examined the underlying reasons for this shortage and the slowness of execution, despite the capital importance of this decision, particularly for its immense benefits on citizens' health due to the high nutritional value of whole grain bread, as well as its economic dimensions.
The session also allowed the representatives of the health, commerce, and Grain Office sectors to be heard and to provide their opinions and proposals to diagnose the dysfunctions and define the responsibilities to overcome the logistical and organizational obstacles.
In response to the conclusions of the debates, the meeting concluded on the need to follow up on this file at the national level and to communicate with the concerned ministries about the problems recorded at the regional level. Additionally, the representative of the region was invited to submit the issue to the "Productive Sectors Commission" within the National Council of Regions and Districts, while continuing efforts to concretize the mechanisms capable of activating this decision across the national territory.
