Agriculture

Although its share in Tunisia’s economy has declined over the past few decades, agriculture contributes 9% of GDP, employs 16% of the workforce, and accounts for 9% of investments and exports. During the post-revolution years, the sector has appeared as one of the most resilient of the economy. It has experienced double-digit investment growth, and is expected to boost value added in strategic segments such as cereals and olive oil. The growth of the agriculture sector, however, will largely depend on the government’s ability to prepare for a series of upcoming challenges, including droughts brought on by climate change, farmers’ growing debt loads and land fragmentation. The country’s capacity to accelerate the development of new agri-business subsectors, such as bottled olive oil and processed dates and vegetables, is also key.

This chapter contains an interview with Abdelmajid Ezzar, President, Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries.