Continuous rises in the prices of essential goods (Fethi Belaid/AFP)
say goodibye to Tunisians The era of plenty as the economic and social crisis deepened in their countries, as basic food commodities were no longer sufficiently available in the markets, nor did they Citizens’ pockets It only allows them to purchase luxury items as part of austerity plans that families have had to do.
Tunisia’s markets have been living for months under multiple pressures and widespread stagnation, forcing shops and major commercial spaces to sell installments, while food prices continue to rise on a daily basis, while the state imports a large part of its needs from abroad, which led to a sharp increase in costs with the repercussions of the Russian war. In Ukraine, especially with the Tunisian agricultural production affected by the drought that afflicted the country.
Store owners and large commercial spaces seek to dispose of weak stocks of basic materials through installment sales and specifying quantities, as they are attached to food shelves, especially sugar, vegetable oil, water, milk and coffee, alerts to customers in which the purchase amount for some products is specified, with convictions not exceeding a box Or two at the most.
new reality
The scarcity of commodities is a new reality for Tunisians, as the markets have never experienced such conditions, even in the most difficult times during the revolution in January 2011 or even during the quarantine during the time of the Corona pandemic.
For decades, Tunisians have become accustomed to abundance that amounts to waste, as they are among the people who waste food at an average of 91 kilograms per capita annually, according to statistics from the Government Consumption Institute.
The new reality of the crisis in Tunisia portends a coming period in which the scarcity of many commodities may increase despite the return to the flow of global supply chains, as a result of the decline in the production machine and the cracking of food systems, in addition to the decline in the reserve of food supplies to zero, which forces citizens to wait in queues from In order to have a limited amount of sugar.
Stocks run out
The union official in the government sugar production factory, and the first supervisor of the storage warehouses, Ahmed Al-Wahaishi, says that for the first time in the history of the factory, the company does not control any strategic stock of sugar after it was completely sold to meet the needs of the market and manufacturers.
In a statement to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, he added that the strategic stock of sugar ranged between 4 and 7 thousand tons, but the high demand and the decline in the quantities of sugar supplied by the Governmental Chamber of Commerce forced the factory to consume all the strategic stock.
Al-Wuhayshi considered that the sugar crisis is an inevitable result of the deterioration of the production machine and the failure to renew the equipment of the only government factory in return for the continued dependence on imported sugar, whose price has risen to world record levels.
The shortage of goods and the cracking of production systems affect the trade balance, whose deficit deepens from month to month, reaching 2.1 billion dinars during the month of August, compared to 1.3 billion dinars in the same period in 2021, according to data published by the National Observatory of Agriculture last Thursday.
Buy in installments
Rawda Al-Tabarsuqi, the head of a family of five, said: “We are paying in installments for most of the food supplies because we find it difficult to obtain them with the decline in income.”
She added in a statement to “Al-Araby Al-Jadeed” that Tunisians are facing an unprecedented situation, stressing that she is not accustomed to seeing citizens on a journey in search of bottles of mineral water, sugar or a carton of milk, which is shocking, she said.
The spokeswoman confirms that she used to buy family supplies or “the quantity” as it is traded locally once every two weeks, as she buys from supermarkets or retailers all that is sufficient for her family from food and cleaning materials for two weeks, but this habit changed after she became obliged to frequent the nearest grocery stores. To her house to get a carton of milk a day or some bottles of mineral water
She points out that retailers and neighborhood grocers are seeking to dispose of their poor stocks by restricting purchases to meet the needs of as many of their customers as possible.
Agriculture decline
Tunisia imports a large part of its needs, constituting 90 percent of the total domestic consumption of its soft wheat needs for the bread industry. It also imports coffee, sugar, rice and vegetable cooking oil through government supply institutions.
The government subsidizes the revision stocks of basic locally produced materials, including agricultural production such as eggs, potatoes, milk and poultry meat.
Economist Khaled Al-Nouri believes that one of the reasons for the supply crisis that is escalating in Tunisia is the decline in the performance of food-producing agricultural systems that are no longer able to cope with the high cost of production inputs, in addition to the arrival of government institutions responsible for supply to the point of almost bankruptcy, as well as the collapse of strategic reserves.
In a statement to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Al-Nouri said that Tunisia had not known a food crisis for more than 6 decades, as the local market was known for the abundance that consumers are accustomed to and it normalized even their habits of disposing of food and produced even waste.
The economist points out that the matter has become completely different as a result of the government supply institutions being affected by the public finance crisis and the decline in their ability to save suppliers in light of a difficult global circumstance.
No effect on government efforts
Al-Nouri considered that the decline in the sovereign rating of the Tunisian economy affected the credibility of the state in its ability to pay food bills, which made the suppliers more stringent in demanding their dues.
Last March, the international credit rating agency, Fitch, downgraded Tunisia’s sovereign rating from “B-” to “CCC”.
“This rating reflects the increased financial and external liquidity risks in the context of further delays in agreeing to a new program with the International Monetary Fund,” the agency said.
Al-Nouri also says that wholesalers and cold store owners are avoiding building stocks of basic materials for fear of prosecution and raids on their stores on charges of monopoly.
Last March, the Tunisian president issued a decree relating to the fight against illegal speculation.
The decree aims to ensure the regular supply of the market and control the distribution routes, and according to it, punishment for violators of the laws reaches life imprisonment and fines of 500,000 dinars.
But citizens say that they have not seen any trace of the government’s effort to combat high prices, as prices record almost daily increases in some materials and commodities, including those regulated by the government.