APIP Agricultural Policy Implementation Project

flowers. Tunisian growers' willingness to experiment with new varieties isa
real strength at this stage.
The principal production constraints are also tied to the experimental
nature of the sector. Few of the Tunisian growers have acquired technical knowhow
and experience to be considered expert inthe production of any one flower.
The reliance on periodic technical assistance from expatriates isa short-term
solution. Although there appears to be a group of well-trained Tunisian
horticulturalists, their knowledge of cut flower production is more theoretical
than practical. The Tunisian growers need assistance in managing their
irrigation systems, making planting decisions, undertaking plant protection
measures, and applying fertilizer.
A second problem concerns the training and competence of workers. No
Tunisian laborers have more than three years of experience in the care and
maintenance of cut flowers. In most cases this lack of an experienced labor
force isexacerbated by the seasonal, transient nature of the work. As a result,
growers incur high costs in time and resources in the process of trainiog and
supervising their workers.
3.2.3 Marketing Strategies
Export marketing strategies are closely tied to the type and level of
foreign involvement in the flower growing enterprises. At the present stage of
the export flower sector growers rely greatly on their European partners or
contacts to market their production. Inmost cases this involves the guaranteed
sale of all production at a price fixed at the beginning of the planting season.
This appears to be a useful way for Tunisian growers tc share risk. This
strategy reflects the realities of efforts to break into a new market with which
Tunisian growers are not familiar. They have neither the time nor the resources
to seek out European markets on their own.
The difficulties facing a Tunisian producer/e.xporter who has no European
partner are ill,;strated by the case of a Tunisian enterprise which had a falling
out with its two European partners over payment for earlier deliveries. This
dispute over payments that were late and lower than expected has threatened the
viability of the largest Tunisian flower exporter. Faced with what appeared to
be irreconcilable differences, the Tunisian firm had to arrange for sales
contacts in Europe on its own. The principal problem of this approach is that
production decisions (i.e. what type and variety to grow) were not linked to the
market. As a result, the firm ended up selling to a number of buyers, which in
turn exacerbated the task of meeting varying quality and packing standards.
This case also illustrates the importance of mutual interest between the
producer and the buyer. Since most Tunisian growers know little or nothing about
the operation of the European flower market, they must rely on their buyer/partner
to make critical decisions regarding planting time, colors of
varieties, and packing and quality standards. One Tunisian firm lost an entire
year's production of gypsophila because itplanted two weeks too late and missed
the critical Easter market. The grower cited the incident as an example of the
learning process that he and his European buyer were experiencing. He now knows
the exact growing period for gypsophila and expects to hit the market right on
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