Tunis - President Kais Saied met, Monday at Carthage Palace, with Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh, to discuss several key issues, most notably the preparations for the upcoming olive harvest season.

The President of the Republic stressed the need for thorough and well-organised preparations starting now to ensure that harvesting, pressing, and marketing of olive oil, both domestically and abroad, take place under the best possible conditions, according to a statement from the Presidency.

The Head of State instructed that efforts should not be limited to traditional markets, noting that many countries in Asia and South America have expressed willingness to import Tunisian olive oil.

He also underscored the importance of finding ways to finance the packaging of this national product, so that the country’s resources bear its name, a step that would positively impact many other sectors and contribute to diversifying Tunisia’s strategic partnerships.

The President of the Republic also stressed the need to provide greater support to small farmers, not only in terms of harvesting, pressing, and marketing, but across all areas.

He reaffirmed that food security is part of national security, starting from the use of local seeds to the exploitation of vast lands capable of producing the finest agricultural products.

President Kais Saied also called for intensified efforts to restore the original roles of key state agencies, including the Grain Board, the Feed Board, the Olive Oil Board and the Livestock and Pasture Board, many of which have seen significant decline.

He said what has been done so far is insufficient and falls short of expectations, with some agencies nearly disappearing due to the dominance of lobby groups that took over strategic sectors, as well as the policy choices made since the early 1990s under the banner of "institutional upgrading.”

In conclusion, the President of the Republic reaffirmed that work is underway to make Tunisia a “green country,” from north to south and east to west, free from all cartels and their allies.

He added that the most powerful remedy against them is the awareness of the Tunisian people and the fulfilment of their expectations as soon as possible.

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