TUNIS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Phosphate production in Tunisia declined about 40 to 50 percent during 2010-2017, due to loss of many foreign markets, the Gafsa Phosphate Company (GPC) said on Tuesday.
The GPC has recorded a production of 3.1 million tons of phosphate since January 2017, down from 3.8 million tons in 2016, and 8 million tons in 2010, said Abderrazak Ratassi, the company's marketing production manager.
The main reason for this drop is the decline in the yield of Tunisian Chemical Group, a public enterprise responsible for phosphate mining and processing, whose operation is affected by sit-ins and social movements preventing the transport of phosphate products.
Phosphate exports is a key source of foreign revenues for Tunisia.
Tunisia is forced to turn to European countries, as it has lost markets like India and Brazil.
