According to the president of the local agricultural union in Béni Khaled, Béchir Aounallah, citrus yields in the governorate of Nabeul are expected to drop by 20% compared to last year (180,000 tons) Production in the 2022 citrus season is already 30% below the total production average of the last five years (350,000 tons).
Citrus cultivation in the Nabeul governorate covers 20,000 hectares, according to the same source. Aounallah attributed the decline to a number of factors, including a lack of irrigation water, rising temperatures, the spread of diseases and the deterioration of damaged citrus fruit.
He called for the implementation of the national strategy to promote the citrus sector, launched in 2019, with a particular focus on encouraging farmers and renovating the irrigation network and dams in Cap Bon. He pointed out that the quantities of citrus fruit exported do not exceed 7,000 tons, while the average exports used to vary between 25,000 and 30,000 tons.
Source: zawya.com