Tunisian Beekeepers Warn Tripled Honey Imports and Fake Syrups Are Squeezing Local Producers
Tunisian beekeepers say honey imports have tripled since 2020, far exceeding domestic demand. The Bizerte farmers' union warns that industrial sugar syrups from China and India are being sold as genuine honey at low prices, threatening local apiculture.
Imports triple since 2020
Tunisia's beekeepers are warning that a sharp rise in honey imports is undermining the domestic market. According to Tunisian agricultural sources, the volume of imported honey has tripled since 2020, reaching levels that far exceed the needs of the national market.
The concern is not only the quantity but the destination of these volumes. With imports outpacing what local consumption can absorb, producers say cheaper foreign product is displacing Tunisian honey on shop shelves and pulling wholesale prices down.
Sugar syrups sold as honey
The farmers' union of Bizerte has denounced the large-scale sale of industrial sugar syrups imported from China and India that are marketed as genuine honey. Sold at low prices, these products compete directly with authentic Tunisian honey, which carries the higher production costs of real apiculture.
For importers and distributors, the low landed cost of these syrups makes them an easy substitute in a price-sensitive market. For beekeepers, the mislabeling is the core grievance: a sugar-based product presented as honey blurs the line between the two goods and erodes consumer trust in the category as a whole.
Local apiculture under pressure
Tunisian apiculturists say the combination of rising volumes and mislabeled cheap product leaves them squeezed. They cannot match the price of imported syrups without selling below their own costs, and the reputational damage from fake honey circulating in the market weighs on demand for the genuine article.
- Imported honey volumes have tripled since 2020, according to Tunisian sources.
- Imports exceed the needs of the national market.
- The Bizerte farmers' union points to sugar syrups from China and India sold as honey.
- Low import prices are undercutting local producers.
What it means for trade
For exporters in China and India, Tunisia is a growing outlet for low-cost honey and honey-substitute syrups. For Tunisian producers, the pressure raises the prospect of calls for tighter import controls, stricter labeling enforcement and quality checks to separate genuine honey from sugar-based substitutes. How authorities respond will shape whether the domestic sector can hold its share of the market or continue to lose ground to imports.
