(Ecofin Agency) - In the 2017-2018 season, Tunisia aims to import 2.1 million tons of wheat and barley (soft and hard), against 2.4 million tons the previous season. This was disclosed by Taoufik Saidi, director general of Tunisia’s Office des Cereales (OTC), in an interview with Bloomberg.

The grains will be bought via international call for tenders.

According to Saidi, the 12.5% slump in the grains imports is to be attributed to a better output. Indeed, combined wheat and barley outputs is expected to stand at 1.8 million tons this season, as compared to 1.4 million last year.

Moreover, the official added that the price of hard wheat which is the nation’s main crop should rise in the global market, due to a reduction of sown areas, mainly in Canada, while price of soft wheat tends to be more stable.

Let it be recalled that Tunisia has an annual demand of about 4 million tons of wheat and barley. The nation gets its barley mainly from Russia and Romania and its wheat from Ukraine, Italy and France.

Espoir Olodo