Tunisians welcome the era of abundance … the installment sale of foodstuffs
say goodbye to Tunisians The era of abundance with the worsening of the economic and social crisis in their countries, as basic food products were no longer sufficiently available on the markets, nor Pockets of citizens It allows them to purchase luxury items only as part of the austerity plans that families have had to make.
Tunisian markets have been living under multiple pressures and widespread stagnation for months, forcing shops and large commercial spaces to sell in installments, while food prices continue to rise on a daily basis, while the state imports much of its needs from abroad. , which led to a sharp increase in costs with the repercussions of the Russian war in Ukraine, especially with Tunisian agricultural production hit by the drought that hit the country.
Owners of stores and large commercial spaces try to dispose of weak stocks of basic materials through installment sales and specifying quantities, as they are attached to the shelves of food, especially sugar, vegetable oil, water, milk and coffee, notices to customers where the purchase amount for some products is specified, with beliefs not exceeding a box or two at most.
new reality
The scarcity of raw materials is a new reality for Tunisians, as the markets have never experienced such conditions, even in the most difficult moments during the revolution of January 2011 or even during the quarantine at the time of the Corona pandemic.
For decades, Tunisians have grown accustomed to abundance which equates to waste, as they are among the people who waste food with an average of 91 kilograms per capita per year, according to statistics from the government’s consumption institute.
The new reality of the crisis in Tunisia portends a coming period in which the scarcity of many commodities could increase despite the return to the flow of global supply chains, following the decline of the production machine and the cracking of food systems, in addition to the decline to zero of the food supply, which forces citizens to wait in line for a limited quantity of sugar.
Stocks run out
The union official of the government sugar plant 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 stocks of sugar after it has been fully 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 fluctuated between 4 and 7 thousand tons, but the high demand and falling quantities of sugar supplied by the Government Chamber of Commerce forced the factory. to consume all the strategic stock.
Al-Wuhayshi believed that the sugar crisis is an inevitable consequence of the deterioration of the production machine and the failure to renew the equipment of the only government factory in exchange for the continued dependence on imported sugar, the price of which has soared to world record levels.
The shortage of goods and the cracking of production systems affect the trade balance, the deficit of which is deepening month by month, reaching 2.1 billion dinars in August, against 1.3 billion dinars in the same period of 2021. , according to data published last Thursday by the National Agricultural Observatory.
Buy in installments
Rawda Al-Tabarsuqi, head of the family of five, said: “We are paying in installments for most of the food supplies because we are having difficulty finding 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 used to seeing citizens traveling in search of bottles of mineral water, sugar or a carton of milk. which is shocking, he said.
The spokesperson confirms that she used to buy supplies for the family or “the quantity” as it is traded locally once every two weeks, as she buys from supermarkets or retailers everything that is enough for her family from food and cleaning materials to two weeks, but this habit changed after she was forced to go to the nearest grocery stores, to her house to get a carton of milk a day or a few bottles of mineral water
He points out that retailers and neighborhood grocery stores are trying to dispose of their poor stock by restricting purchases to meet the needs of as many customers as possible.
Decline of agriculture
Tunisia imports much of its needs, making up 90 percent of its total domestic consumption of soft wheat for the bread industry. It also imports coffee, sugar, rice, and vegetable cooking oil through government procurement institutions.
The government subsidizes audit stocks of locally produced basic materials, including agricultural production such as eggs, potatoes, milk and poultry meat.
Economist Khaled Al-Nouri believes that one of the reasons for the escalating supply crisis in Tunisia is the decline in the performance of agricultural food production systems that are no longer able to cope with the high costs of production inputs. as well as the arrival of government procurement institutions to the point of near-failure, 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 used to and has also normalized their food disposal habits and also produced waste.
The economist points out that the issue has become completely different due to public supply institutions hit by the public finance crisis and their declining ability to bail out suppliers in light of a difficult global situation.
No effect on government efforts
Al-Nouri felt that the decline in the sovereign rating of the Tunisian economy affected the state’s credibility in its ability to pay its food bills, which made suppliers tougher in claiming their debts.
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 a new program with the International Monetary Fund,” the agency said.
Al-Nouri also says wholesalers and cold storage owners are avoiding building stocks of basic materials for fear of prosecution and raids on their stores on monopoly charges.
Last March, the Tunisian president issued a decree on the fight against illegal speculation.
The decree aims to guarantee the regular supply of the market and control the distribution routes and, according to it, the punishment for violators of the laws reaches life imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 dinars.
But citizens say they have seen no trace of the government’s effort to combat high prices, as prices see almost daily increases in some materials and commodities, including those regulated by the government.
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