COMPLIANCE TO HACCP AND COMPETITIVENESS OF OMAN FISH PROCESSING

Exports of fish products are very important for the Sultanate of Oman to diversify sources of income and achieve higher standards of living to fishermen. In the past government regulations and support were sufficient to reach markets such as the European Union and the United States. During the last decade, however, there has been more focus on the application of more stringent quality regulations according to international norms namely Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). This paper investigates the perception and compliance of Oman fish companies to HACCP and consequences for corporate success and competitiveness. The paper provides and overview of international and national fish market regulations and the development of seafood regulations in Oman. It also develops an empirical framework to investigate empirically the relation between the adoption of international quality control procedures and success in export markets using an export penetration index. The paper findings show that up to 1998, Oman fish quality regulations differ in scope and objectives from HACCP. For instance, there is no requirement of plant-level quality management system equivalent to HACCP. Also, Oman regulations were based on regular inspections by government agents whereas HACCP is a system-based approach aiming at reducing repeated inspections. Empirical results support the hypothesis put forward; variables reflecting on the quality of fish products, that is, HACCP and sanitation were found to be positively correlated to the export index.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Factors affecting farmers’ willingness to adopt salt-tolerant forage crops in south-eastern Tunisia

This paper analyzed the factors that affect farmers’ willingness to adopt salt-tolerant forage for livestock, using a Tobit model. The data used for the empirical analysis was obtained from a survey of 97 farmers in southeastern Tunisia. The results of this study show that variables related to age, education level, the salinity level of water and membership in a farmers’ association do not significantly influence the degree to which salt-tolerant forage production is adopted. It did, however, find a positive relationship between off-farm income availability and adoption. In addition, the flock size variable, expressed in Standard Livestock Units, has a significant and positive relationship with adoption. This indicates farmers’ need to cover their forage deficit. Agricultural extension services should ensure that the requisite forage species are made available, and work with farmers to encourage them to adopt salt-tolerant forage species and pass on their knowledge to other farmers.Farmers’ willingness to adopt, Salt-tolerant forage, Tobit model, Tunisia, Crop Production/Industries,

Technical efficiency of olive oil manufacturing and efficacy of modernization programme in Tunisia

This study investigates firm level technical efficiency of production and its determinants in a sample of 137 olive oil manufacturing firms in Tunisia using a stochastic frontier production model applied to cross-section data. Results indicate that technical efficiency of production in the sample of olive oil manufacturing firms investigated ranges from a minimum of 47.1% to a maximum 99.5% with an average technical efficiency estimate of 86.5%. This implies olive oil manufacturing firms in Tunisia can increase their production on average by 13.5% through more efficient use of technology and production inputs. The fact that 93 firms represented more than 64.4% of the sample hit more than 80% of technical efficiency score implies the efficacy of modernization programme implemented in Tunisia. The estimated coefficients in the technical inefficiency effects model indicate that level of technology, frequent use of computer and internet, the owner’s age, the share of skilled labour, the employment of management staff, and the input sourcing by the own production have a significant and positive effect on technical efficiency. On the other hand, negative relationships are found between technical efficiency and entrepreneur dummy variable, continuous relationship with the suppliers in the same district, and with the private sector and trader as customers. These results imply that the adoption of new technology, accumulation of skill and knowledge as well as stable input sourcing contribute to improve the technical efficiency of olive oil manufacturing.olive oil manufacturing, stochastic frontier production function, technical efficiency, modernization programme, Tunisia, Crop Production/Industries,

Exploring Japanese olive oil consumer behavior

During the last two decades, olive oil consumption in Japan is showing an increasing trend due to dietary and health concerns. Traditional olive oil producer and exporter countries such as Italy, Spain and Tunisia have interest to reinforce and to increase their penetration in the Japanese market. This study examines Japanese olive oil consumer behaviour by the use of the conjoint analysis technique. Five attributes have been chosen to design the experiment: region of origin, price, olive oil type, taste and colour. Two models have been estimated where the price variable was introduced in its discrete form in the first model and in its linear and quadratic from in the second model. In a second step, consumer segmentation was undertaken based on consumption frequencies. Two groups have been identified: “heavy consumers” and “light or potential consumers”. The main results indicate the importance of the selected variables in Japanese olive oil consumer' choice. Olive oil with Mediterranean or Tunisian origin has higher probabilities to be chosen than Italian or Spanish one. Japanese consumers prefer a green with bland taste olive oil. Concerning olive oil type, results indicate that refined olive oil has more probability to be chosen than virgin or extra-virgin one, indicating low awareness of Japanese consumers about olive oil. The price variable estimates have shown a convex utility curve indicating a decrease of consumers’ utility when price increases till a maximum price. Above that price, consumers’ utility increase indicating in that case that olive oil is considered as a luxurious product. Differences as well as similarities have been detected among consumer segments.Olive oil, Japan, consumer behavior, Consumer/Household Economics,

Durabilité des systèmes de production des petits ruminants: Une approche de santé animale–marketing

L’objectif de ce papier est d’identifier les contraintes de commercialisation des petits ruminants sur le marché aux bestiaux. Ces contraintes sont particulièrement prononcées chez les petits éleveurs. Notre recherche met en évidence la relation entre les caractéristiques de cette catégorie d’éleveurs et le choix du lieu de commercialisation (marché, sur la route ou à la ferme). Ce choix est lié aussi aux coûts de transaction qui se manifestent sur le marché mais aussi à l’état de santé du cheptel. La décision de ne pas se rendre sur le marché est supposée influencer négativement la continuité de cette activité et par conséquent la durabilité de d’élevage chez les petits éleveurs. Parmi les facteurs trouvés favoriser la chance de se rendre sur le marché il y a la possession de moyen de transport et la fréquence de visites vétérinaires. La santé animale est déterminante aussi bien pour la productivité (problème d’avortement, par exemple) que la commercialisation.Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy, Livestock Production/Industries, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Analyse de la décision contractuelle des producteurs du lait en Tunisie

Analysis of the Contracting Decision of Milk Producers in Tunisia. The market is considered to be the best way of coordinating economic activities. Market imperfections however seem to justify the development of contracts between producers of the primary products (say milk) and collectors or milk processing units. In the present study the contract system between these different actors is analyzed in two main production regions (Beja and Jendouba) in Tunisia. Our main hypothesis is that producers choose to contract with milk collection centers in order to reduce transaction costs. Indeed, sales of milk raise high costs of transactions due to exante evaluation problems. This study aims at analyzing the contract decision by farmers to identify factors favoring contracting or not to contract with collection centers. The importance of the study stems from the value given to the contract system to resolve problems of irregularity and seasonality of milk supplies as well as the current efforts to improve the quality of milk

Durabilité des systèmes de production des petits ruminants: Une approche de santé animale–marketing

L’objectif de ce papier est d’identifier les contraintes de commercialisation des petits ruminants sur le marché aux bestiaux. Ces contraintes sont particulièrement prononcées chez les petits éleveurs. Notre recherche met en évidence la relation entre les caractéristiques de cette catégorie d’éleveurs et le choix du lieu de commercialisation (marché, sur la route ou à la ferme). Ce choix est lié aussi aux coûts de transaction qui se manifestent sur le marché mais aussi à l’état de santé du cheptel. La décision de ne pas se rendre sur le marché est supposée influencer négativement la continuité de cette activité et par conséquent la durabilité de d’élevage chez les petits éleveurs. Parmi les facteurs trouvés favoriser la chance de se rendre sur le marché il y a la possession de moyen de transport et la fréquence de visites vétérinaires. La santé animale est déterminante aussi bien pour la productivité (problème d’avortement, par exemple) que la commercialisation.Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

The effects of Information and Country of Origin on Japanese Olive Oil Consumer Selection

Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Irrigation et développement local Cas du périmètre irrigué du Garaat Enneam (Gouvernorat de Kasserine, Tunisie)

International audienceEn Tunisie, la quasi-totalité des ressources hydriques est affectée au secteur irrigué utilisant plus de 80% des ressources en eau disponibles permettant d'irriguer 370000 ha. La pauvreté se matérialise dans le Centre et le Sud par un milieu naturel difficile et une agriculture de subsistance à faible niveau de productivité et représentant souvent l'unique source de revenu pour la majorité des exploitants. La création de périmètres irrigués constitue le principal voire le seul moyen de développement agricole. La zone de Gaaret Enneam, située dans le Sud du gouvernorat de Kasserine, représente le cas de notre étude sur le rôle de l'irrigation dans le développement local. L'étude des systèmes de production agricole a pour objectif d'évaluer les changements économique, social et technique résultants de la création du périmètre irrigué. L'efficacité de l'intervention de l'Etat, créateur du périmètre irrigué, est mesurée à travers le développement local durable de la communauté objet de l'étude

Production structure and Cost efficiency of irrigated agriculture: A shadow cost approach

International audienceThe improvement of irrigated agriculture needs sound performance assessment based on economic principles. This is particularly relevant to design adequate policies in terms of water allocation. In this paper we endeavour to assess irrigation efficiency using a behavioural approach in which the cost function (shadow cost) is based on shadow prices of inputs. This approach is useful to derive price distortion coefficients to indicate the level of allocative efficiency in two irrigated areas: Jendouba and Kairouan, in Tunisia. Results show that in the case of Jendouba price ratio shows an even distribution around one with 50% of farmers having values below one and 50% greater than one. In the case of Kairouan the same distribution is observed except that the magnitude of the distortion is greater (values around Two). This shows that inefficiencies are greater in Kairouan than in Jendouba. Such difference is explained by the prevalence of irrigation tradition which is older in Jendouba than in Kairouan