During a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, Tunisian President Kais Saied criticized the recent statement issued by the Professional Date Palm Council (GID), which excluded Morocco from the target markets for the export campaign for the 2025-2026 season.
Saied described this statement as “irresponsible,” emphasizing that it requires “clear explanations” from its author, and expressing his disapproval of the “exclusion of a brotherly nation.”
In remarks made at the Carthage Palace on Tuesday, October 21, Saied stated, “Our brothers remain our brothers. How can one brother exclude another, even if their methods or positions differ? Our choices are ours, and no one has the right to intervene in them, but the bonds of brotherhood are our history and, indeed, our destiny.”
These comments clearly reference the recent tensions in relations between Tunisia and Morocco, particularly in the context of agricultural competition in international markets.
### Controversial Decision by the Professional Date Palm Council
This statement follows a controversial decision made by the Professional Date Palm Council on October 10, 2025, which announced the start of the date export season from October 13 to all markets except the Moroccan market, without specifying the reasons for this exclusion.
In a subsequent clarification, the council stated that exports to Morocco would begin at the end of October, pending the maturity of late-harvest date varieties, especially those produced in the Kébili region.
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