(TAP) – Some 160 small companies specialised in the manufacture of mosquito nets to protect dates will be created soon in Tozeur and Kebili, said Friday a statement of the Ministry of Vocational Training and Employment.

This project will create 700 jobs, the statement said.

Funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation, this project aims first to reduce the import of mosquito nets to achieve self-sufficiency.

The project was launched by the National Agency for Self-Employment and the Inter-professional Fruit Group.

These mosquito nets are essential for the protection of dates against the weather and the worm of dates that affect their quality.