Day: July 29, 2023

The production of seasonal tomatoes for processing or drying has reached 90 thousand tonnes, according to the Gafsa Local Authority for Agricultural Development (CRDA).

The harvest is good despite the damage to 60 hectares of crops caused by the cold snap in May 2023, said the head of plant production at the CRDA.

He pointed out that the progress rate of the harvest has hit 70%, and that productivity per hectare has risen from 120 tonnes in the previous seasons to 150 tonnes in 2023.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Public Prosecutor of the Sfax 2 Court of First Instance, on Saturday, ordered the custody of a judge of the judiciary, following the discovery in his vehicle of a quantity of currency and gold.

First deputy public prosecutor of the Sfax 2 court of first instance Majdi Kammoun told TAP that the Skhira customs guard unit had on Friday evening arrested the judge in question aboard his vehicle, where they discovered large amounts of currency and gold hidden inside.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the custody of the judge and his brother, who both made use of the car for their transport, as well as the seizure of the vehicle and its contents, the same source said, adding that the investigation was still under way to determine who is liable.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Assembly of People’s Representatives on Saturday adopted Bill No. 22/2023 approving the credit agreement concluded on July 20, 2023 between Tunisia and Saudi Arabia to fund the State budget, with 116 votes for, 3 abstentions and 1 against.

The bill was approved at a plenary session held on Saturday morning, in the presence of Finance Minister Sihem Namsia.

It consists of a $400 million (TND 1,240 million) soft loan, with a 5% interest rate, to be repaid over 7 years, including a 2-year grace period.

The Saudi financing also includes a grant worth $100 million (around TND 300 million), i.e. 20% of the overall financing, making it preferential financing, according to the Finance Ministry.

The 2023 Finance Act provides for cash resources of almost TND 23.5 billion, which will be raised through domestic and external borrowing estimated at TND 9.5 billion and TND 14.8 billion, respectively (including TND 10.359 billion to support the State budget).

The raising of these resources has been somewhat delayed, given that the majority of financial partners make the granting of new financing conditional on the conclusion of an agreement with the IMF.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri Nemsia told the Assembly of People’s Representatives (APR) that Tunisia has so far repaid about 42% of all loans due to be settled in 2023.

At a general assembly held on Saturday to examine a bill approving a loan agreement signed on July 20 between Tunisia and Saudi Arabia to fund the State budget, she pointed out that the total loans due to be repaid in the course of this year are estimated at TND 20 billion, according to the 2023 Finance Law.

She recalled that Tunisia is due to repay a loan worth TND 560 million on August 4, 2023, and that the government is working hard to raise financial resources and repay the loans at the same time.

Namsia indicated that the raising of external resources stood at around 40% of the total borrowing resources to fund the State budget set out in the 2023 Finance Law, and that their raising will continue throughout the remainder of the current year.

With regard to the situation of public establishments, the minister said that they are among the government’s priorities, adding that the audit programme had been completed for most of them and that the reports are ready.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP) approved, during a plenary session held on Saturday afternoon, a bill approving a loan agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) worth $87.100 million, equivalent to TND 267.56 million, to Tunisia to help fund the Cereal Sector Inclusive and Sustainable Development Support Project (PADIFIC).

The bill was approved with 84 votes for, 2 against and 18 abstentions.

This loan will be repaid over 24 years, with a 4.5-year grace period, and a variable interest rate, which will be calculated by the Bank on each payment date, starting on July 15, 2028.

This loan will allow the AfDB to contribute to 74% of the cost of the PADIFIC project, while the State will contribute the sum of $30.421 million (26% of the cost), which will be used mainly to pay the salaries of the executives involved in the project, and to acquire the necessary logistical equipment, transport and storage facilities.

The total cost of the project amounts to $117.521 million excluding taxes, the equivalent of around TND 361 million.

Implementing PADIFIC will allow Tunisia to increase durum wheat production by 1.6 million quintals, barley by 1.2 million quintals, vegetable oil by 18,000 quintals and cattle cake by 42,000 quintals. It will also help the country reduce post-harvest and storage losses, saving around 115,000 quintals of cereals.

The project will also reduce post-harvest losses through the construction of a new silo in Djebel Djelloud and the rehabilitation of two port silos in Rades and Bizerte.

Besides, it will reinforce cereal transportation by rail, requiring the acquisition of 30 new wagons.

Furthermore, the project aims to support the capacities of stakeholders in the grain sector, enabling them to enhance their resilience to external shocks and climate change.

In essence, PADIFIC intervenes to support the pre-production phase of the grain sector and finance grain imports at a total cost of approximately $66.12 million.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Prime Minister Najla Bouden honoured Amer El-Ouf, a veteran from the Bizerte governorate, and journalist Rachid Baccai, who is active in the Association for the Preservation of the Medina of Bizerte and the Association Action and Development, at a ceremony held on Saturday at the Kasbah, according to a department press release.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Tunisian television lost one of its founding fathers Boubaker El Euch.

It recalled in a statement on Saturday, that the deceased had started his career in the establishment on August 15, 1965, even before its official inauguration on May 31, 1966.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse