Tunisia: Covid-19 puts date industry in difficulty

In Tunisia, farmers and date producers do not know where to turn. Indeed, the crisis of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) has, in addition to having lowered prices in the face of almost non-existent demand, seriously affected exports. The date industry is struggling in Tunisia, especially in the south, in Kébili and Tozeur. The harmful effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have been added to already existing problems including: high production costs, scarcity of water resources, lack of manpower and also the lack of a compensation fund and compensation for accidents occurring in the workplace. Unable to market their date production, farmers face unprecedented financial difficulties, reports African Manager, citing the president of the Kébili regional farmers' union, Issam Bennaceur. “In the case of Kébili, we have sold almost nothing from our 2019-2020 harvest. In fact, 80% of our harvest which was intended for export to Europe is currently blocked in ...