Tunisia’s minister of trade, Ridha Ben Mosbah, last week convened a meeting in Tunis to prepare for the start of the citrus export season, which just got underway.
The aim of the meeting was to encourage better coordination between the different players in the sector in order to stimulate export activity, according to Investir en Tunisie.
Mr Ben Mosbah stressed the progress that has been made by the sector over the last few years. Between 2005 and 2009, citrus production in Tunisia, dominated by the blood orange, increased by 5.1 per cent, with exports growing by 6.4 per cent.
In order to meet the needs of external markets, Mr Ben Mosbah called for the creation of a quality platform and the adoption of pilot traceability operations that took the needs of small farmers into consideration.
In addition, the minister reiterated the need to adopt modern technologies for advertising and distribution. He also called for more cooperation through the creation of an information network that brings all the players in the sector together.
