Madar (Tunis) - Tunisian President Kais Saied called for support for small olive growers through favourable loans, new financing lines and a reference price that protects their rights, and urged urgent action on the difficulties facing date producers, as he received Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Minister Ezzedine Ben Cheikh at Carthage Palace on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Tunisian news site Webdo reported on Thursday, October 22.
Saied described agriculture as a pillar of national security and sovereignty, saying Tunisia has the resources, farming traditions and scientific skills to achieve food self-sufficiency, according to the outlet.
On the olive season, he called for more storage capacity at the National Oil Office and stronger promotion of Tunisian olive oil on international markets. On dates, he criticised some intermediaries he accused of deliberately pushing down the prices paid for harvests and called for urgent intervention in the sector, as in other farming sectors.
Saied also asked the regional agricultural development commissariats to step up plant protection, particularly against olive tree diseases and the spread of the red palm weevil, to ensure fair and timely distribution of fertiliser and the availability of seeds and other inputs, and to cut red tape.
He stressed the urgency of rebuilding the national herd, which he said has declined despite the existence of the Livestock Office, and of making better use of agronomic institutes' research, arguing that national sovereignty cannot be complete while the population depends on imported food. He also mentioned the creation of the Rjim Maatoug Office for the development of the South and the Sahara.
