Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Abdelmonem Belati said on Friday that recent rainfall had been beneficial for agricultural production.
Kicking off the harvest campaign in Bizerte, the Minister stressed the importance of diversifying crops in order to cope with climate change and improve productivity.
He also pointed out that efforts were being made to strengthen the field crops sector, by implementing measures such as putting scientific research in the service of this sector.
Visiting the cereal collection centre in Menzel Bourguiba, the Minister stressed the need to upgrade harvesting equipment so as to reduce post-harvest losses.
According to data from the regional agriculture authority, 99,000 hectares of land have been planted. This includes 81,000 hectares of durum wheat, 6,000 hectares of soft wheat, 10,000 hectares of barley and 2,000 hectares of triticale. Cereal production is expected to be around 1.5 million quintals.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse