TUNISIA (22 October)
Sowings of wheat and barley crops to be harvested from May 2005 are underway. Favourable weather conditions, larger area sown and adequate availability of agricultural inputs resulted in good 2004 cereal production for the second successive year. Aggregate cereal output, estimated at 2.5 million tonnes, although 14 percent below the bumper crop harvested in previous year was almost 63 more than the average for the previous five years. Production of wheat is estimated at 1.65 million tonnes, compared to the past five year’s average of 1.15 million tonnes. Barley output, estimated at 846 000 tonnes, is 7 percent below last year’s bumper harvest but over twice as high as the average for the previous five years.
Import of cereals in 2004/05 (July/July), mostly wheat and maize are forecast at 1.62 million tonnes, about 232 000 tonnes more than in the previous year.