Tunisia's date export sector records modest growth and readies for next season

Tunisia's date export revenues rose 4.8% to 770.7 million dinars in the first eight months of the 2025/2026 campaign, with exported volumes up 5.3% to 121.5 thousand tonnes. The deglet ennour variety accounted for 83.3% of the total, while the average price fell 7% to 5.96 DT per kilogram. The European Union remained the largest market at 47.9% of volume, followed by Asia (21%) and Africa (19.3%); Morocco, Italy and Germany were the top destination countries. Organic dates totaled 7,024 tonnes worth about 71.9 million dinars, up 28.4%, representing 5.8% of total exports, with Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium leading the organic market.

A coordination meeting led by Minister of Trade and Export Development Samir Abid gathered officials, financiers and industry representatives to evaluate the recent season and prepare for the next. The minister highlighted commercialisation challenges and stressed the strategic importance of dates, which rank second among Tunisia's agri‑food exports. Plans discussed included improving oasis maintenance, storage and transport, expanding shipments to Asian markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia, simplifying export procedures, financing small exporters and protecting Tunisian date brands.