Tunisia expects to produce around 55% more olive oil this season, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday, boosting exports of the “green gold” and helping to shore up ailing public finances.
Tunisia is among the world’s top exporters of olive oil, a commodity of growing international consumer and investor interest.
“Dorsaf Ben Ahmed, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture, said: “After a significant decline in the last two seasons, this season’s production is back to normal levels at 340,000 tonnes of oil.
Last season, Tunisia earned a record 5.1 billion dinars ($1.65 billion) from exporting olive oil, helped by soaring global prices.
The olive harvest season begins in October and runs until the end of February.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
