Tunisia mineral water supply faces shortages and price gouging

Tunisia is facing ongoing challenges in the mineral water supply chain, with authorities and producers providing conflicting timelines for a return to normalcy. In the Nabeul governorate, the Regional Directorate of Commerce supervised the distribution of 165,000 bottles of mineral water over two days to bolster supplies across various delegations, including Hammamet and Korba.

During these operations, economic control teams identified 32 infractions, primarily involving illegal price increases, speculative practices such as refusal of sale, and the concealment of goods. Consequently, officials have proposed the administrative closure of two establishments for illegal pricing.

Meanwhile, Lassâad Mezah, president of the Chamber of Non-Alcoholic Beverage Producers, stated that the supply situation may not stabilize until September. This follows previous projections for an earlier recovery. Mezah attributed the production difficulties to extreme summer heat and electricity outages, which have hindered factory operations during a period of high demand. He noted that a gradual improvement is expected as consumer demand decreases.