The citrus harvest season in the region of Cap-Bon is coming to an end with production down by 50% compared to last year, Imed Bey, president of the Regional Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP), told TAP.
The official attributed the reasons for this regression to the difficult climatic factors that the country has experienced, including the scarcity of rainfall during the beginning of the season as well as the high salinity of irrigation water and the water stress of recent years.
He explained that the drop in the filling rate of dams has limited to only 20% the availability of irrigation water necessary for citrus plantations, estimated at 10 million m3 during the past season.
The official mentioned in this sense the delay at the level of the regional commission of Agriculture in the presentation of the irrigation programme for the next season and the absence of a clear vision in this regard.
The region of Cap Bon contributes to 75% of the national production of citrus fruits and 90% of the quantities intended for export. The sector employs about 20 thousand people in the region where the area allocated to citrus fruits amounts to nearly 20 hectares, located mainly in the regions of Menzel Bou Zelfa, Beni Khaled, Bou Argoub and Soliman.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse