Tunisia : 3% of farmers give up farming each year because of excessive debt

According to the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP), around 3% of farmers in Tunisia give up their activities every year due to excessive debt and a lack of support from the State. « This is a situation that threatens a strategic sector of the Tunisian economy, » UTAP points out.

UTAP’s statistics show that « 85% of people working in the various agricultural and fishing activities are small farmers who are in a ‘very difficult’ situation because of their marginalisation by the State, despite their important role in the national economy ». The majority of these farmers farm areas of 5 hectares or less under difficult conditions. They find it difficult to obtain supplies of agricultural inputs and equipment.