Tunisia battles tomato shortage with emergency imports

Tunisia is currently facing an unprecedented tomato shortage, with retail prices climbing above 5 Tunisian dinars per kilogram. Experts and government officials attribute this scarcity to adverse weather conditions, specifically extreme summer heat and severe storms that damaged crops in the Kasserine region. While farmers sell at 2.5 dinars per kilogram, complications in the distribution chain have further inflated market prices. To stabilize supply, authorities have begun importing Egyptian tomatoes via Libya, following a similar strategy previously used for potatoes. This domestic shortfall is notable, as production for industrial processing has also dropped by 15% compared to the 2024 season.