(TAP)- Tunisia is not fully using up the preferential export quotas granted by the European Union in connection to thirteen agricultural products, it emerges from a study entitled "How to Improve Food Security in Tunisia: Step up Mutual Trade and Investment Links with the EU."

The study, recently published by German foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung, was conducted by economists Houssem Eddine Chebbi and Markus Overdiek. Tunisia needs additional EU short-term support to boost agricultural investments and tackle Russia-Ukraine conflict induced challenges, the authors underlined.

Agricultural produce with strong export opportunities while not meeting the real potential include olive oil (export opportunities: US$534 million, real exports: US$407 million), dates (export opportunities: US$249 million, real exports: US$129 million), fresh tomatoes (export opportunities: US$44 million, real exports: US$41 million).

Tunisia needs to make a thorough analysis, based on up-to-date and accurate statistics, of its agricultural production to develop its future strategies for target products.

One of the main objectives would be to "engage in talks with the European bloc and increase export quotas for strategic products such as olive oil. This would have a positive impact on the national economy and consequently the country's stability."