Following the great success of the first edition of the Tunisian Contest for Terroir Products in December 2017, the APIA has tried to develop in a participatory way a national promotion plan for the 76 medal-winning products. Over the past few weeks, some 100 public and private sector representatives have been planning together actions to promote the best local products of Tunisia. The results will be presented at a national seminar on April 11, 2018 at the Cité des Sciences.
Tunisia organized in December 2017 the first edition of the National Contest for Terroir Products. 236 products from all regions of Tunisia were in the running: harissa, olive oil, fruit syrup, floral waters, honey, sardines in olive oil and many others products. In total, 76 medals and 4 awards of excellence were awarded. The competition was conducted by the Agricultural Investment Promotion Agency (APIA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries and in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and SMEs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries. Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts and the City of Sciences of Tunis.
Following a first survey of winners’ sample in March 2018, the medal products were able to record a sales increase of between 30% and 50% thanks to the great interest that the local products that arouse among Tunisian consumers. . The great marketing potential of Tunisia’s best products seems far from being exploited.
To further support this promising dynamic, the organizers of the Tunisian contest of local products under the leadership of APIA have therefore wanted to put in place a national promotion plan of medal products while taking into consideration that local products are heritage Tunisia and deserve the commitment and ownership of all.
“The success of the approach of valorization of typically Tunisian products involves the transversal collaboration between all the partners of the public sector, private and civil society involved in the production, promotion and marketing of each” terroir “. A participatory approach was followed to prepare a national promotion plan for the 76 medal winning products. “Says the commissioner of the contest of Tunisian products of the soil (APIA).
Over the last few weeks, around a hundred public and private sector executives have identified the main areas of work to promote the 76 winning products. The national medal product promotion plan includes support actions in the following areas: 1) marketing; 2) agrotourism and gastronomy 3) promotion and communication 4) improved supply. The profiles of the representatives who engaged during the long mornings of discussions to ensure the success of the medal-winning products were very varied: farmers’ unions, inter-professional groupings of the agri-food and tourism sector, cultural and heritage protection associations of Tunisia, training schools , federations of chefs and restaurateurs, supermarkets, online sales, delicatessens, journalists and communication professionals, travel agencies and structures under the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education etc.
The seminar “Presentation of the promotional plan of medal products” to be held Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 9 am at the Tunis Science City will be an opportunity to present to the general public the various actions programmed and carried by the multiple partners and to encourage other interested parties to contribute to the valorization of medal products. Interventions on international experiences promoting flagship products and medalists in other countries are also planned.
The seminar as well as the Tunisian Contest for Terroir Products are part of the support activities of the “Access to Markets for Agrifood and Terroir Products Project” (PAMPAT) implemented by the United Nations for Industrial Development (UNIDO) and co-financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), APIA, INNORPI and GICA. The course of the competition and its methodology draws inspiration from the Swiss experience, where the Interjurian Rural Foundation has been organizing the Swiss competition for local products for 14 years.
The objectives of the competition set by the Tunisian institutions are the promotion of the brand image of local products to Tunisian and foreign consumers, the encouragement of the continuous improvement of the quality and the valorization of the traditional know-how of the various Tunisian regions. In addition, the contest organizers aim to promote the development of agritourism around the region’s flagship products. The competition is considered by the institutions as a starting point to give a new impetus to the typical Tunisian products and their terroirs distributed throughout Tunisia. The Minister of Agriculture has already announced to the media that the second edition of the Tunisian Local Produce Competition will be held in 2019 under the leadership of APIA.
Source: Press release
