OMM Redaksiyası
Tunisia is facing shortages of staple goods and bottled drinking water despite recent signs of economic recovery, highlighting vulnerabilities in the country’s supply, distribution and import chains, Anadolu Agency reported.
The scarcity has exposed broader economic fragility driven by global climate pressures, constraints on public finances and the hoarding of goods. Tunisia’s economy grew by 2.4% in the first half of the year, supported by a strong recovery in agriculture and tourism, according to official figures.
The crisis has revived memories of the widespread bread shortage in the summer of 2023.
Public finance constraints affect imports
Economist Bassem Ennaifer said Tunisia’s public finances had suffered three major shocks over the past six years: the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and newly emerging economic pressures.
According to Ennaifer, the continuing shortage of subsidized commodities such as sugar, rice and tea is linked to the debt burden and budget-financing constraints facing Tunisia’s Trade Office.
He said the recent shortage of bottled drinking water was caused by distribution disruptions, as wholesalers no longer held sufficient inventories to absorb heat-driven increases in demand.
Experts warn of structural risks
Ridha Chkoundali, an economics professor, said the shortages had gone beyond seasonal demand and called for comprehensive reforms. He warned that structural, financial and regulatory problems could prolong the crisis.
Liquidity constraints in public finances delayed imports of subsidized products, Chkoundali said, while power cuts and technical problems at local facilities disrupted production.
The 2.4% growth rate was below the government’s 3.3% target, and the professor warned that the recovery could lose momentum in the second half of the year because of rising oil prices and instability in the Middle East.
Water and energy pressures
Strong growth in olive oil production brought limited benefits to the domestic food supply because most of the output was directed to export markets.
Chkoundali said declining water resources and rising energy costs could eventually affect fuel supplies, potentially triggering new shortages if the current problems remain unresolved.
Tunisian authorities have blamed hoarding and market manipulation for the supply disruptions. The administration of President Kais Saied has accused speculators of deliberately stockpiling goods in an attempt to provoke a politically charged crisis.
