The Agricultural Investment Promotion Agency (APIA) under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries and with the support of the Ministry of Industry and SMEs and the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts, organizes the first edition of the “Tunisian Contest of Terroir Products”. The competition aims to promote the brand image of the best typical products from different regions of Tunisia and aims to put into orbit channels, regions, producers, farmers, as well as Tunisian brands …
For this 1st Tunisian Local Produce Competition, more than 270 products belonging to 5 categories of processed agri-food products will be in the running: olive and olive oil, fruits and aromatic plants, honey and cheeses, vegetables and fishery products.
The contest will be held at the Tunis Science City and unfolds on several events. Two days of product tasting will be held on November 29 and 30, 2017.
On December 8, 2017, the winners of the 1st Tunisian Contest for Terroir Products will be awarded medals (gold, silver and bronze) and prizes of excellence at the medal ceremony of the Competition chaired by the Ministers Agriculture and Industry.
The same day will be held an international seminar dedicated to agritourism around local products. The public will be able to discover the products in contests and medalists on the occasion of the market of the Competition (exhibition-sale) the weekend of December 9th and 10th, 2017.
Criteria for identifying a local product
1.Typicity: The PT must have unique characteristics related to the origin and a reputation on the market (eliminatory criterion)
2. Physical Anchorage in the Territory: The PT is special because of the natural resources of the territory of origin (climate, soil, genetic variety, etc.)
3.Historical anchorage to the territory: The PT has been produced for at least 60 years (eliminatory criterion)
4. Know-how and connection with the local culture: The PT is linked to the local population (local know-how, organization of cultural and tourist events around the PT).
How many products are in the running?
To date, 272 products from 123 producers are vying for gold, silver and bronze medals. By and large 30% of products will get medals. Nearly 100 tasters will arbitrate between the products according to certain parameters (taste, texture, smell, ….)
Who is involved in the contest?
At this 1st Tunisian Contest of Tunisian Terroir Products are concerned all the patented producers, companies and groups of farmers who produce local products of subcategories and registered in time. That said, it is important that products whose raw materials are imported, those that are untreated and those that do not have a license are not accepted in the Contest.
Who supports this initiative?
This Tunisian Agri-Food Heritage Development Competition is set up by the Agricultural Investment Promotion Agency (APIA) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries. It is supported and supported by the market access project for agri-food and local products (PAMPAT) financed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (SECO) and implemented by the United Nations United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The course of the competition and its methodology are inspired by the experience of the Swiss Contest for Local Products, which is in its seventh edition.
And after the contest?
The list of medal-winning products (contact details of producers) will be available on a dedicated website: www.concours-terroir.tn. Promotion of medal-winning products will be done by the institutions at fairs and exhibitions at the national or international level. The award-winning producers will also be accompanied by PAMPAT in terms of communication, marketing, branding on the medal-winning products.
