Tunisian olive oil could benefit from increased support for its transport, particularly to the United States: this was announced by the Minister of Trade and Export Development, Samir Abid, Thursday, December 25, 2025, during the meeting of the Export Promotion Advisory Commission. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Export Promotion Center (Cepex), in the presence of the CEO of Cepex and members of the commission, indicated a press release dated Friday, December 26, 2025.
A reinforced transport subsidy for olive oil
The minister indicated that this initiative would aim to facilitate access for Tunisian olive oil to international markets and to support a key sector of national agriculture. The proposal will soon be examined by the National Foreign Trade Council for approval.
According to Samir Abid, the export sector represents a strategic engine of the national economy and a “real locomotive for development» and the Export Promotion Fund constitutes one of the main state tools to support Tunisian companies on world markets, by strengthening their capacity to compete internationally.
Towards a more strategic role for the commission
Samir Abid insisted on the need to evolve the Export Promotion Advisory Commission from a strictly advisory role towards a more prospective and strategic role. The commission will now have to participate in defining priorities in terms of markets and sectors, based on statistical, economic and comparative reference analyses.
The minister also recalled the importance of taking into account the social orientations of the State when granting subsidies, in particular by giving priority to agricultural products and, more particularly, olive oil. The objective is to accelerate the study of support files and the disbursement of grants.
Specific programs and support for innovative sectors
Furthermore, the minister insisted on the need to put in place in the future specific and exceptional programs in favor of the export sector, in particular to support sectors encountering difficulties in terms of promotion as well as innovative sectors, such as start-ups and the exports of family businesses.
Since October 2025, the application of the Easy Export program has been launched, aiming to further support the export of Tunisian products via La Poste Tunisienne, particularly for food industries, traditional industries and start-ups. From January 2026, the E-Fopprodex system will be deployed to digitalize support requests and accelerate the disbursement of grants.
Continued modernization of the Export Promotion Fund
Samir Abid also called for the finalization of the structuring of the Export Promotion Fund (Foprodex), by accelerating the revision of the decree relating to its interventions and by developing a procedure guide. Digitization and simplification of procedures for exporters are among the priorities, in order to remove existing obstacles as quickly as possible.
The export promotion advisory commission is responsible for monitoring the conditions and procedures for awarding subsidies (transport, direct support, promotional operations, advertising, etc.), evaluating support requests and setting the grant rates and deadlines. It is also responsible for implementing the Fund’s decisions and evaluating the effectiveness of its interventions, while participating in the definition of the general orientations of national export support policies.
The emphasis placed on olive oil, an emblematic product of the Tunisian agricultural sector, demonstrates the ministry’s desire to strengthen the competitiveness of exports in a demanding international context.
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