Tunisia: record citrus production 262K MT

Tholen – Tunisia expects a record citrus production for the campaign of 2005/2006. In the campaign of 2003/2004 about 209K MT was produced and this increased with 8% to 243K MT during the campaign of 2004/2005. For the present season, a production of 262K iMT is expected. This positive development is mostly thanks to the variety Maltaise, which is typical for Tunisia. The production of this citrus variety increased from 101K MT in 2004/2005 to 126K MT durin the campaign of 2005/2006, which represents an increase of 25%. At the same time the production of clementines increased with 19% from 20.300 MT to 27.600 MT.

The production acreage has increased strongly, from 16K ha in 1999 to 18.600 ha presently. The most important production area is Nabeul . Through the introduction of new varieties, the production season has been lengthened from 6 to 8 months, from October to May. The expected exports amount 22K MT this season, which mostly concerns Matlaises, comparing to 19K MT in 2004/2005. The most important export destination is France, but there are numerous other initiatives to reach new markets.