GIEWS Country Brief: Tunisia Food Security Overview for March 2025
Tunisia’s food security is on the rise, with increased rainfall boosting 2025 cereal crop conditions, improved production recovery in 2024, below-average import forecasts, and easing food inflation rates.
The GIEWS Country Brief for Tunisia reports significant improvements in food security, driven by recent weather conditions and agricultural outputs. Abundant rainfall in January 2025 has positively impacted the soil moisture levels, enhancing cereal crop production. Early indications suggest that yields for the 2025 cereal season may exceed average levels if favourable conditions continue through March and May.
In 2024, Tunisia’s cereal production rebounded strongly, reaching approximately 1.5 million tonnes, nearly triple the previous year’s drought-affected output. However, this figure still falls about 6 percent below the five-year average. Crop growth benefited from improved weather conditions experienced between December 2023 and April 2024, despite earlier delays in planting due to high temperatures.
Looking forward, Tunisia’s cereal import requirements are anticipated to remain below average in 2025 at about 3.5 million tonnes. Wheat imports are projected to total around 2 million tonnes, which reflects a marginal increase attributed to the improved domestic wheat production harvested in 2024.
Furthermore, food inflation has shown signs of easing, with rates declining through 2024 and reaching approximately 7 percent in February 2025, a considerable reduction from the peak of 16 percent noted in May 2023. This decline was largely influenced by rising prices in meat, fish, and poultry, which increased significantly, while oil prices experienced a notable decrease.
In summary, Tunisia’s food security situation has improved due to favourable weather conditions and recovery in cereal production. Anticipated below-average cereal import requirements in 2025, along with easing food inflation, suggest a more stable agricultural outlook. Continuous monitoring of weather patterns and market conditions will be essential to maintain this positive trajectory.
Original Source: reliefweb.int
