As part of the implementation of the activities of the ENPARD South Support Programme in Tunisia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries (MARHP) has identified three working themes: the assessment of the regulation system of the cereal sector, the examination of the agricultural sector support system and the evaluation of the impact of the Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) on Tunisian agriculture.
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These topics are currently the subject of four studies coordinated by the ENPARD South Support Programme team, with the support of the Directorate-General for Studies and Agricultural Development (DGEDA): the evaluation of the impact of the CAFTA on the dairy sector; the evaluation of the impact of the CAFTA on the citrus sector; the assessment of the regulation system of the cereal sector (collection, imports and consumption); the evaluation of the agricultural sector support system in Tunisia.
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For each of the studies, a working group gathering representatives of the main institutions concerned, producers and the private sector was set up. These groups met from 18 to 21 July in Tunis to discuss a first overview of the situation and specify the objectives and methods of the studies.
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Working group on the evaluation of the impact of the CAFTA on the dairy sector
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Following the presentation of the state of play of the dairy sector, the members of the working group addressed the following points: the lack of comprehensive, up-to-date and reliable data; weak governance and insufficient integration of the sector; the duality of the production characterised by high heterogeneity and the lack of control over small producers; the heavy reliance of the dairy industry on subsidies; the difficulty of developing exports ; the overarching issue of milk quality.
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Most participants consider that, as it stands, the Tunisian dairy industry is not yet ready to open up to competing European products, as European producers are more competitive. The borders opening should be negotiated and analysed in both directions (export and import), which raises the issues of the price and non-price competitiveness of Tunisian products. The evaluation of the impact of the CAFTA will concern every segment in the value chain, analyse the price and non-price competitiveness of dairy products and raise the question of the Tunisian dairy farms sustainability. It will also take into account support for the dairy sector in Europe and Tunisia.
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Working group on the evaluation of the impact of the CAFTA on the citrus sector
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After a global description of the citrus sector in Tunisia, the working group discussions focused on several topics: the evolution of local production; the capacity of Tunisia to develop its citrus exports by diversifying exported products and destination markets; local consumption and lack of industrial transformation.
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The study will focus on the issue of the price and non-price competitiveness of Tunisian citrus fruits, its international positioning and the impact of the CAFTA negotiations on the sector both for import and for export.
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Working group on the assessment of the regulation system of the cereal sector
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In the framework of the workshop on the cereals sector, following a presentation of the state of play of the sector in Tunisia, four main issues were discussed by the working group: the state of grain collection, difficulties encountered by this segment of the value chain and improvement options; the setting of prices and premiums and, more generally, the compensation mechanism; the imports aim at covering a large production deficit; the consumption, quality of the products offered and waste.
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The study will aim, on the basis of a detailed analysis of the situation, to propose concrete answers to the difficulties encountered in terms of collection, import management and regulation of cereals.
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Working group on the examination of the agricultural sector support system
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Finally, during the last workshop, several points were addressed by the members of the working group after the presentation of the analysis note: the benefits of the OECD method for this study; the difficulty of accessing data and the lack of transparency of information between actors; the lack of hindsight regarding the potential impact of new investment laws and tax benefits; the length and complexity of aids for smallholders who often lack supervision and training; the imperfect governance of the support system due to a lack of coordination between the actors leading to poor targeting of aid, misappropriation and abuse.
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On the basis of an inventory of agricultural support mechanisms and their effectiveness, the study will aim to propose scenarios for improving agricultural support mechanisms, to make it more efficient and less costly, with a particular focus on the citrus, dairy, cereals and olive oil sectors.
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Following these workshops, several meetings with the working groups and stakeholders involved in the studies were organised from 23 to 27 October in Tunis with various objectives:
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Make an inventory of the work progress and determine the schedule of activities;
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Meet and present the selected consultants and the junior research officer recruited to support the activities of the ESSP in Tunisia to DGEDA and working groups;
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Collect additional information, analyses, comments from the participants in the working groups to improve and refine the inventories;
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Meet the complementary participants to the studies launched to present the ENPARD initiative, the progress of the work and collect additional information (in particular Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry, UTAP, private sector).
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In the coming months, several activities and meetings will be organised in Tunisia:
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Training on agricultural negotiations under the CAFTA is scheduled for December;
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The working groups will meet in January 2018 to discuss the first results of the studies and to prepare the second part of the studies;
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Regional workshops to promote experiences exchanges are also planned during the first quarter for each of the working groups.
You can also download the reports of the workshops at the following address: https://cloudia.iamm.fr/index.php/s/ZMpoSDgbkhiXycc
