In many countries bananas are amongst the cheapest fruit, but not in Tunisia. According to a study by the World Bank, they are about 30% more expensive in Tunisia than in the UK. They were on the list of the top 10 items to be smuggled into the country from Algeria or Libya.
Whilst neither Algeria, Libya, nor Tunisia, produce bananas, Tunisia has a 36% tax on imported bananas and only a few sellers can import them.
In the past, contacts within President Ben Ali’s circle could get around this tax. Four years after the revolution the tax is still in place and the market is flooded with smuggled bananas.
Whilst Tunisia has made significant political progress this year, economical problems that provoked the 2010-2011 revolution still reside.
In a recent study carried out by Pew research, 88% of Tunisians described the economic situation as very bad.