Heavy rains accompanied by hail that struck Friday evening the delegations of Sbiba, Sbeitla, and Jedeliane in the governorate of Kasserine caused varying degrees of damage to olive plantations, vegetable crops, and fruit trees. This situation raises farmers’ concerns about the impact of these storms on the current season’s harvest, according to Mohamed Hassan Azhari, president of the Regional Union of Agriculture and Fisheries of Kasserine.
In a statement to the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) agency, Azhari indicated that the level of damage recorded varied between 50% and 70%. The Sbiba delegation would be the most affected, with losses exceeding 70% for the olive harvest.
He added that the inclement weather had also affected large swathes of vegetable crops, while the branches of several fruit trees were damaged by the hail.
The official stressed that the damage caused to fruit trees requires rapid intervention by their owners in order to treat them and to prevent the worsening of lesions on the branches, which could have negative consequences on the growth and productivity of the trees.
Regarding compensation for losses, Azhari explained that the Agricultural Damage Compensation Fund for damages caused by natural disasters does not cover hail damage. He nevertheless stressed the importance for farmers to join it in order to be able to benefit from the compensation mechanisms for disasters within its scope of intervention.
Meanwhile, several farmers in the Sbiba delegation confirmed to TAP that extensive areas of olives and vegetable crops had been damaged by hail and heavy rains, which they described as exceptionally intense.
They called on authorities to intervene to assess the damage and help them cope with the consequences.
