Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Abdelmonem Belati, Monday, called on developed countries to honor the commitment of "100 billion dollars per year", made in Copenhagen in 2009 in order to mobilize, as of 2020, public and private financing in favor of developing countries so as to fund their actions to combat climate change.
Speaking at an action workshop organized in collaboration with FAO to celebrate World Food Day which is held this year on the theme "Water is life, Water nourishes. Leave No one Behind", he stressed the need to take the necessary measures to help countries affected by climate change, including Tunisia, to fight against the repercussions of these changes caused, in large part, by industrialized countries.
The minister pointed out that climate change has had a strong impact on Tunisia, which has witnessed its seventh year of drought. It has caused a sharp deterioration in its water resources and its cereal harvest for 2023, at 0.3 million tonnes compared to an average of around 1.2 to 1.5 million tonnes.
Belati also insisted on the urgency of implementing the strategy of rationalizing the consumption of drinking water and promoting the production of foods that consume little water, affirming that his department will give priority to guaranteeing the availability of drinking water by resorting to the desalination of sea water.
The ministry will also strengthen the use of treated water, the potential of which is estimated between 300 and 350 million m3 per year on a global scale at the national level so as to cover the needs of the agricultural sector.
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Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse