President Kais Saied declares ‘war’ against monopolists in Tunisia
President Kais Saied has declared “war” on the profiteering of food staples such as wheat and semolina in a country already mired in a political-economic crisis.
According to a statement issued by the president’s office, Saied said that he was launching a “relentless war on speculators and criminals”, accusing them of seeking to “strike at social peace and security” in the country.
Tunisia has seen a sharp shortage in staples such as rice, semolina, sugar and flour over the past weeks, with the authorities frequently announcing the seizure of illegally stored quantities of these foods.
The statement noted that Saied had previously announced he was working on legislation introducing prison sentences as a penalty for food speculation and profiteering.
On Tuesday, the trade ministry announced the seizure of five tons of semolina and wheat as well as over 278 kilos of rice “hidden” by a wholesaler of food products in a working class neighborhood of Tunis.
In three days, between March 2 and March 4, the ministry said that it had seized 912 tons of rice, semolina, flour, sugar, and other products in mostly illegal warehouses across the country, as well as several tones of fruit and vegetables (mostly apples and potatoes), eggs, canned tomatoes, and vegetable oil.
Tunisia remains embroiled in an economic and political crisis eight months after Saied seized extraordinary powers.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which began on Feb. 24 – has aggravated hardship in Tunisia, as it is highly dependent on imports for its food needs and especially as concerns wheat.
The country imports half of its wheat, mostly from Ukraine.
