Tunis — During the last decade, the export sector has strengthened foreign exchange inflows, increased from 110 million dinars to 250 million dinars, said Mr. Abderrazak Daaloul, Secretary of State in charge of Fisheries, on Thursday during a workshop on the latest innovations in the sector of fisheries packing and fishery products exploitation.

Mr. Daaloul stressed that the fisheries sector is one of the fundamental sectors of the Tunisian economy thanks to the policy adopted to boost the sector.

As an example, he cited canned sardines exports in 2008 which reached 2600 tons yielding 18 million dinars of revenues.

Financial incentives have created an expanded and diversified fleet of more than 11,500 units of fishing vessels.

He also reviewed the decisions taken in the field of quality control, including the establishment of a quality system.

Industrial enterprises operating in bluefish processing sector are also required to obtain a health certificate before the end of 2009, he said.

Mr. Daaloul also announced the setting up of a computer database in the Tunisian inter-fisheries Group and the creation of an export consortium, tasked with advertising these products and creating a Tunisian trademark for sardines.