Tunisia: The party was spoiled by a shortage of sugar

"All our work is based on sugar! If we have sugar, we can work, otherwise we can't do anything," Chokri Bouajila, employee of a downtown pastry shop and specialist in traditional cakes, told AFP. . In addition to the lack of sugar, the high cost of living, which affects the purchasing power of Tunisians, has pushed this trade to reduce the quantities produced. “Most customers buy 200 grams or 500 grams of cakes. This was not the case in previous years,” regrets Mr. Bouajila. Tunisia, which has 12 million inhabitants, a third of whom are below the poverty line, has suffered high inflation for two years (8 to 10% on average per year) with food prices which have often tripled. Some people make a brave face against bad luck: “sugar is not good for your health!”, jokes Nayla, assuring that she has learned to do without it. In Tunisia, the authorities centralize purchases of subsidized basic foodstuffs but a lack of liquidity in public coffers regularly causes shortages of sugar, ...