Tunisia Targets Higher-Value Olive Oil and Date Exports as Revenues Rise
Tunisia’s olive oil exports reached about 368,000 tonnes worth 4.6 billion dinars in the first nine months of the 2025/2026 campaign. Date export revenue exceeded 908 million dinars, while the country is seeking new markets and more value from packaging and processing.
Olive oil revenue reaches 4.6 billion dinars
Tunisia is looking to turn strong olive oil and date exports into a broader source of agricultural growth by increasing production, entering new markets and selling more products in higher-value formats. Both commodities are strategic sources of export revenue, but a significant share is still sold in bulk, limiting the income captured by Tunisian producers and processors.
According to figures published by AllAfrica, Tunisia exported nearly 368,000 tonnes of olive oil during the first nine months of the 2025/2026 campaign. The shipments generated about 4.6 billion Tunisian dinars in revenue. Fathi Ben Khalifa, economic adviser to the president of the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries, said the country could raise annual olive oil export receipts to 10 billion dinars by 2030.
Date exports deliver double-digit revenue growth
The date sector recorded exports of about 144,000 tonnes during the first ten months of the 2025/2026 campaign, with a value exceeding 908 million dinars. Revenue increased by 12.2% compared with the previous campaign. The current harvest is expected to offer good quality, although preliminary assessments indicate that volumes may be slightly lower.
Tunisia’s Deglet Nour variety remains central to the sector’s international positioning. Industry officials have been working to open additional markets, while domestic sales events have connected growers directly with consumers. According to AllAfrica, these events reduced the role of speculators, offered fresh, high-quality dates at considered prices and helped keep retail prices stable and affordable.
Bulk sales leave value outside Tunisia
Ben Khalifa called for more intensive cultivation, higher production and a stronger export focus. The argument is that Tunisia should continue planting and renewing its productive orchards rather than restrict output out of concern that additional supplies will depress prices. The country’s earlier experience with olive oil showed the risks of dependence on foreign bulk buyers: an Italian proposal cited in the report offered to purchase Tunisia’s oil in bulk on condition that no additional olive trees be planted for twenty years.
The next challenge is to retain more value inside Tunisia. Bulk exports provide foreign-currency earnings and move large volumes, but packaging, branding and product development can generate higher returns and make Tunisian origin more visible to final consumers. Olive oil has already benefited from improved presentation, while date exporters are beginning to use more sophisticated packaging developed by younger operators. Tunisian pastry chefs and cooks could also support demand by presenting new uses for dates and olive oil in international competitions and markets. For growers, processors and exporters, the commercial opportunity therefore lies not only in producing more, but in converting a larger share of harvests into branded, packaged and differentiated products. Reaching the 10-billion-dinar olive oil target will depend on both volume growth and Tunisia’s ability to capture margins currently earned farther along the supply chain.
