Agriculture penalised by the failures of insurance system

The seminary organized by the ministry of Agriculture on the theme "Agricultural insurance « reality and outlook »" has raised the issue of farm insurance role on the sustainability of this sector.

The lack of an adequate insurance system is identified as the main reason of famers' over indebtedness, whose losses for the first eight months of the ongoing year already amount to 28.6 million USD.

The proposed solutions at the end of the meeting include:

• the enhancement of agricultural insurance and its sub-sectors, by reforms and accompanying measures proposed by the State
• the creation of a fund dedicated to covering the risks linked to agriculture
• the implementation of products specific to the needs and expectations of Tunisian farmers.

As a reminder, farm insurance represents 4% of the total of the indutry's premiums. Only 7% of farmers are insured.