Amidst a circle of union representatives, business-owners, farmers, and researchers, reservations and concerns regarding the impact of a free trade agreement on Tunisia’s agricultural sector were part of a debate that was ultimately less about whether or not than how to proceed with a “greater integration into the European economic space.”
Will continuing threats of strikes, milk siphoned across borders and spilled onto streets, and official demands for reforms within the dairy industry inspire more interest in prioritizing the needs of a suffering agricultural sector? Until now, articles and current issues of agricultural significance prompt little public response in comparison to other highly mediatized and provocative and agriculturally-relevant issues such as immigration, smuggling of contraband, border tensions, unemployment, international economic cooperation and trade.
De querelles intestines en querelles économiques et sociales, le monde agricole se meurt en silence. Pire encore, l’autocensure pratiquée dans ce microcosme est omniprésente. Les mêmes réflexes pré-révolutionnaires n’ont pas disparus. Les agriculteurs ont peur de s’exprimer par peur des représailles.
