Power supply disruptions are putting significant pressure on Tunisia’s tomato sector, with nearly 35% of the harvest at risk of loss due to repeated electricity cuts. The outages are linked to an intense heat wave across North Africa that has pushed Tunisia’s national power grid to its limits in recent days. According to Adel Antit, a member of the National Tomato Federation, the outages have directly affected both producers and processing units, disrupting the entire production chain. Speaking on Diwan FM, Antit said the impact has been especially severe in the Cap Bon region.

Several tomato processing plants in Cap Bon have halted operations because of the recurring power cuts, Antit said. Of the region’s 14 processing units, only five to six are currently operational, while others have been forced to reduce the volumes of tomatoes they purchase from farmers. The disruption comes at the height of the processing campaign, a period when speed of processing is critical to avoiding losses.

The power cuts are also affecting farms directly. Antit said many producers are no longer able to properly irrigate their crops, leading to drying and degradation of part of the plantations. Farmers have also faced delays delivering their harvests to processing units, with some reportedly forced to wait several days outside factories before being able to sell their tomatoes. Combined with recent high temperatures, these delays have accelerated the deterioration of part of the crop.

Antit called on the relevant authorities to intervene quickly to resolve the power cuts and protect the tomato season, stressing the need to secure the energy supply for both farms and processing units to prevent further losses across the sector.

Source: lapresse.tn