Tunisia Power Cuts Batter Farms and Businesses Amid Summer Heat
TUNIS-Rolling power cuts across Tunisia are inflicting heavy losses on farmers and businesses as soaring summer temperatures push electricity demand beyond available supply, with livestock deaths, spoiled food and damaged equipment adding to growing public frustration over the country’s energy shortages.
The state electricity utility, STEG, has introduced load shedding to ease pressure on the national power grid as air-conditioning use rises during the summer heat. The utility has said the planned outages are necessary to prevent a nationwide blackout, although businesses and residents say the interruptions have often been unpredictable and prolonged.
At a poultry farm in El-Fahs, around 60 kilometres southwest of Tunis, hundreds of chicken carcasses were being buried after an extended power outage disabled essential ventilation and water systems. Veterinarian Hamza Bouchrit estimated the financial losses at between 1.4 million and 1.5 million Tunisian dinars, saying nearly 90% of the birds died, representing the loss of roughly 400 to 500 tonnes of poultry meat.
Bouchrit said the farm’s backup generator, intended only for short-term emergencies, overheated and failed after operating beyond its designed capacity during the prolonged outage. Without ventilation and water supplied by electrically powered pumps, the birds did not survive.
Nearby, dairy farmer Aziz Bouhejba said he was forced to discard approximately 1,200 litres of milk produced over six days because it could not be properly stored. He described the losses as difficult to recover and criticised what he said were lengthy power cuts carried out without adequate planning or notice.
Business groups have echoed those concerns. CONECT, one of Tunisia’s main employers’ organisations, has criticised the lack of advance information, arguing that companies have been unable to prepare for scheduled outages or protect their operations.
The country’s pastry industry has also been hit during the peak summer wedding and celebrations season. Samia Diab, head of the chamber of pastry makers, said her workshop in the capital’s El Menzah district had remained closed for around 10 days after power disruptions damaged refrigeration equipment and forced her to dispose of large quantities of prepared dough.
Diab said businesses received no precise timetable for the outages, making it impossible to organise production or install sufficient backup power. She added that some bakery owners had borrowed money in anticipation of the busy summer season and now faced severe financial losses.
Power interruptions have also affected cafés, restaurants and supermarkets in different parts of the country, with outages varying in duration and frequency between neighbourhoods despite STEG’s assertion that electricity cuts were being distributed fairly.
The fishing industry has also reported rising costs. Mohamed Saddam, president of the fishmongers’ chamber, said higher prices for ice, an essential requirement for preserving catches, had pushed up fish prices. He said the price of mackerel had doubled as a result.
The electricity shortages have become a growing political issue. Tunisia’s parliament held a plenary session on Monday to discuss electricity and water supply disruptions, but government representatives did not attend, prompting criticism from lawmakers.
Member of Parliament Adel Dhiaf criticised the absence of government officials, urging authorities to explain the reasons behind the ongoing shortages. Referring to reported losses suffered by farmers, he questioned why livelihoods were being damaged by repeated power cuts.
Although outages have appeared to ease since the weekend, according to the source material, the recent disruptions have highlighted the challenges facing Tunisia’s electricity network during periods of peak demand, leaving businesses and agricultural producers struggling to absorb mounting financial losses.
