National citrus production in Tunisia is expected to increase by 5.2% to reach 365,000 tonnes in the 2024/2025 season, according to Dorsaf Ben Ahmed, head of the General Directorate of Agricultural Production. The announcement was made during a press conference at the Ministry of Agriculture.
The production is divided among different citrus fruits, including “Maltese oranges” at 89.5 thousand tons, “Thomson navel” oranges at 117.3 thousand tons, clementines at 78.9 thousand tons and lemons at 53 thousand tons. Despite the overall increase, lemon production was down by 3.6% compared to the previous season. Ben Ahmed stressed the importance of harvesting and selling these fruits at the right time of ripeness.
As regards exports, Tunisia has seen its citrus exports increase, with 8,510 tonnes shipped abroad in the 2023/2024 season. This includes 7,411 tonnes of Maltese oranges, an increase of 11.8% compared to the 2022/2023 season. The financial gain from these exports also increased by 15.5% to 25.460 million dinars (US$ 8,013,773).
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
