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The cereal harvest is ahead of schedule, that is 51% till June 23 nationwide, Deputy-Director of Cereals at the Agriculture Ministry’s General Directorate of Agricultural Production Mohamed Ben Romdhane said, adding that “cereal crops of 497 thousand hectares (ha) had been collected over a total area estimated at 976 thousand ha.”
The areas to be sown to crops are divided into around 702 thousand ha in the north and 274 thousand ha in the south, he specified.
The harvested areas accounts for around 172 thousand ha of durum, 38 thousand ha of soft wheat, 281 thousand ha of barley and 6.3 thousand ha of triticale.
As regards cereal yields, Ben Romdhane pointed out that the durum average yield range between 10 and 29 quintals per ha in the north, between 12 and 24 quintals/ha in the midland and 6 quintals/ha in the south.
The maximum yield was recorded in irrigated regions in Kairouan (i.e. 82 quintals/ha).
Soft wheat yields range between 10 and 26 quintals/ha in the north, between 10 and 31 quintals/ha in midland and 5 quintals/ha in the south. The maximum yield was also recorded in Kairoun with 65 quintals/ha.
As for barley, the average yield range between 9 and 20 quintals/ha in the north, between 7 and 16 quintals/ha in the midland and 6 quintals/ha in the south with the maximum yield recorded in irrigated areas in Kairouan with 67 quintals/ha.
The triticale average yield varies between 11 and 23 quintals/ha in the north and maximum yield of 35 quintals/ha recorded in Beja.
According to Ben Romdhane, the privates contributed to the collection of 56% of harvested quantities while the grain board contributed with only 1.3% and co-operative companies with 40%.
Cereal production for the 2016/2017 agricultural season is estimated at 17 million quintals against 12 million quintals in the last one, that is up by 38%.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2017
