Olive Farming in Tunisia

Though endowed with a vast array of varieties that have adapted to its many environmental conditions, Tunisian olive oil production mostly relies on two cultivars: Chemlali, representing 70% of the olives employed, and Chetoui.
 
We shall now venture into a relatively unexplored territory, namely the Tunisian olive farming and oil producing sectors. Here, over one third of the agricultural land is planted with olive trees and their fruit, though only accounting for roughly 15% of the overall agricultural production, make up 50% of all the goods of agricultural origin that Tunisia exports worldwide.
 
Currently, with its 1.82 million hectares, Tunisia is the second country for amount of land covered by olive groves, corresponding to approximately 82 million trees. In the last 10-15 years, the country’s average yearly production has ranged around 185 thousand tonnes, and Tunisia therefore ranks fourth among the leading olive oil-producing countries, after Spain, Italy and Greece. In 2014-15 however, the season was particularly good, with a record production of 340 thousand tonnes.
 
Though endowed with a vast array of varieties that have adapted to its many environmental conditions, Tunisian oil production mostly relies on two cultivars: Chemlali, representing 70% of the olives employed, and Chetoui, which accounts for 10%. These two varieties are often blended together, to make an extremely balanced oil.
 
There are also many lesser varieties, cultivated from the more northern regions of the country, with a damper climate, to those furthest south, which are more arid and hostile. Chemlali, the most popular cultivar in Tunisia, especially in its central and southern regions, gives a sweet oil, with only the slightest bitterness, and no pungency at all. The other variety mentioned, Chetoui, is mostly cultivated in the North, and gives a more bitter and intensely fruity oil.
 
Among the lesser varieties, worth mentioning is Sayali, cultivated in the northern part of the country. It is quite bitter and is therefore often blended with Chetoui. Another variety found in these regions is Oueslati, which yields a delightfully scented oil. In the southern, desert areas, there are two rustic varieties: Zalmati and Zarrazi. This latter one gives a sweet oil, which is always in great demand on the local market. The south is also the home of Chamchali, a variety that produces an extremely fruity oil, whereas Jarboui, cultivated further north, yields an intensely scented oil. More