Tunisia's General Manager of the Joint Professional Association for Dates, Caesar Ben Arfa, announced that the association has prepared a promotional program for the 2026-2027 season. The program aims to maintain Tunisia's position in traditional export markets, enhance its presence in promising markets, and boost domestic consumption of dates and their derivatives. The program takes into account several challenges facing the date industry, including climate change and increased competition in international markets.
The program includes components to ensure continuous monitoring of the preparation and progress of export seasons, as well as coordination with various stakeholders and professionals to ensure the success of the season. This comes after Tunisia achieved record export results, with revenues exceeding 1 billion dinars ($330 million) from the export of around 160,000 tons of dates, mostly the renowned Deglet Nour variety. The program aims to build on this success and further develop the country's date industry.
The domestic market is a key focus of the new promotional program, with plans to establish sales points where producers can sell directly to consumers. This initiative, which was launched in previous seasons, has been well-received by farmers and consumers alike. The association plans to establish these sales points in several regions of the country, with two phases of implementation: one immediately after the harvest season and another before the month of Ramadan.
The program also includes participation in various local, regional, and national events related to the sector, as well as the implementation of advertising and promotional campaigns to encourage date consumption in Tunisia. The association aims to promote the benefits of dates and increase domestic consumption, while also highlighting its role in developing the date industry and supporting professionals.
In addition to fresh dates, the program also focuses on date derivatives, which are seen as a promising area for creating added value and diversifying Tunisia's export offerings. The association plans to participate in the International Food Industry Salon in Africa (IFSA 2027) to promote date derivatives and establish new relationships with international players.
The push to develop exports of date derivatives is part of the association's strategy to diversify products and markets, particularly in response to growing global demand for natural and healthy food products. Tunisia sees opportunities to develop exports of date derivatives, such as date paste, date syrup, and date powder, in several European, North American, and Gulf markets.
The new promotional program is a significant step towards strengthening Tunisia's position in the global date market and increasing domestic consumption. With its focus on promoting date derivatives and diversifying exports, the program is expected to have a positive impact on the country's date industry and economy.
Key points
- Tunisia aims to increase date exports and domestic consumption through a new promotional program.
- The program focuses on maintaining Tunisia's position in traditional export markets and enhancing its presence in promising markets.
- The association plans to establish sales points where producers can sell directly to consumers in several regions of the country.
