Export earnings from Maltese oranges, olive oil and dates have reached nearly TND 2,146 million since the start of the 2023-2024 agricultural season, said Dorsaf Ben Ahmed, representative of the Directorate General of Agricultural Production at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries. Speaking at a press conference organised by this department in Tunis on Wednesday, she said that Tunisia has exported 4,680 tonnes of Maltese oranges worth TND 18 million since the beginning of the season. Citrus exports continue, she pointed out, adding that national production is estimated at 365,000 tonnes, including 90,000 tonnes of Maltese oranges. Ben Ahmed also said that 61,506 tonnes of olive oil have been exported so far, with a value of TND 1,590 million, adding that the price of exported olive oil has reached 26 dinars/kg. Domestic production for this season is estimated at 1.1 million tonnes of olives and 220,000 tonnes of olive oil. Since the start of the season, Tunisia has also exported 81, 750 tonnes of dates, worth 538 million dinars, she said, adding that date production had increased by 14.4% compared to the previous season to 390,000 tonnes, including 328,000 tonnes of the Deglet Nour variety. Regarding the 2024 crop season, Ben Ahmed said that the area sown so far has reached 971,000 hectares (81% of the planned area), an increase of 4% compared to the 2023 season (967,000 hectares). She added that the sown areas are divided into 576,000 hectares of durum wheat (93% progress rate), 24,000 hectares of soft wheat (53%), 362,000 hectares of barley (70%) and 86,000 hectares of triticale (89%). With regard to the chemical fertiliser distribution programme, she announced the availability of 80,000 tonnes of diammonium phosphate - DAP -, (53% of planned quantities), 135,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (56%) and 16.5,000 tonnes of Super 45 (55% of planned quantities). Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse