The stone fruit season begins in Tunisia, with good volumes and quality. The industry was unaffected by the drought, says Mohamed Sadok, CEO of CarthagoExpo.
"After a long period of drought, we have been blessed by recent rains, especially in the southern and central regions, which saved the stone fruit season. While the cereal and vegetable sector has been heavily impacted, due to production schedules and the lack of rainfall, the stone fruit and watermelons sector will emerge unharmed.
According to the producer, the sufficient amounts of rainfall, combined with a stable acreage compared to last season, will result in a slight increase in volumes: "In peach and nectarine, I am marketing 500 tons this year, up 50 tons from last year. At the national level, producers anticipate an increase in yield of around 7% and we could exceed 300,000 tons produced this year."
In terms of demand, it is still slow at the beginning of the season from Europe, adds Sadok "European buyers prefer Spanish production since it is not subject to export taxes. We, therefore, wait for Spain and European production in general to leave the market. We expect demand to increase very soon, especially as Spanish production has been impacted by the drought. There is also a demand from the Gulf countries, but we prefer to ship to Europe since the fruits are very sensitive and don't withstand well the transit to the Gulf countries."
Tunisian production enjoys a comfortable position on the market this season, adds Sadok: "Apart from Spain, we do not face strong competition this year. The drought has also impacted Moroccan production, and our quality in stone fruits is better than the Egyptian quality. Our geographical location and the superior quality of Tunisian production are our best strengths compared to the rest of the origins."
Prices will be at the same level as last season, Sadok assures, around 1.8 EUR/kg CIF, and export schedules will last until mid-June for nectarines, and late July for peaches.
For more information:
Mohamed Sadok
CarthagoExpo
Tel. : +216 21 143 905
Emai: carthagoexpo@gmail.com