In the new 2017/2018 season, olive oil production will increase by 20 to 30 percent compared to the previous two seasons, said CEO of the National Oil Board (ONH ) Chokri Bayoudh, recalling that the new season will start as of the month of November 2017.

Speaking at a press conference held prior to the start of the first meeting of the National Commission to organise and monitor the progress of the olive harvest season, Bayoudh promised that the harvest would exceed production levels recorded over the last five years, which has been around 190,000 tonnes.

According to Bayoudh, Tunisian exports of olive oil, during the 2017/2018 season, will exceed 200,000 tonnes.

He also said that Tunisia will enter new promising markets in Canada, the USA, China, Russia and India.

In the same context, he said that Tunisia is endeavouring to gradually move away from traditional European markets, including Spain and Italy.

Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Samir Taieb said the annual average of olive oil exports over the last ten years reached 45,000 tonnes, i.e. 80 percent of the national production, with revenues of around 850 million dinars (MD).

"At the end of July 2017, exports of olive oil reached some 71, 617 tonnes, resulting in revenues of around 679.3 MD, against exports of 78,336 tonnes with revenues of 590.5 MD, during the same period of 2016, "said the minister as quoted by state news agency, TAP.

Tunisia occupies the second place in terms of area devoted to olive plantations after Spain. These areas cover 1.8 million hectares and include more than 86 million olive trees.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture's indicators, the olive sector is the main activity with 309,000 farms, accounting for 60 percent of the total number of farms in Tunisia.