The grain production is expected to reach 14.3 million quintals for the 2017/2018 season, against 16.1 million quintals during the previous season, according to the Agriculture Ministry’s preliminary forecasts while assumptions of the 2018 economic budget are set at 19 million quintals for 2018.
This year’s harvest is divided between 9.233 million quintals of durum wheat, 1.193 million q of soft wheat, 3.627 million q of barley and 308 thousand q of triticale, Director General of the Agricultural Production at the Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Ministry Ezzedine Cholghef told TAP. The yield per hectare reached 42 q.
The lion’s share of this harvest, i.e. 8 million q, was recorded in Northern Beja, Jendouba and Bizerte governorates, he indicated, noting that the harvest as a whole exceeds the average.
As regards the drop recorded compared to last year, it is due to weather conditions, particularly the water deficit recorded in several productive governorates such as Kef and Siliana where the repercussion of drought recorded last year are still there, in addition to the fall in production in Zaghouan and midland governorates.
Sown areas reached 1.150 million hectares this year, i.e. 82% of the scheduled areas against 1.240 million hectares in the previous season.
