Historical overview

Historical stages before independence

National Chamber of Agriculture Departments of the Northern Choura of the Kingdom of Tunisia, January 21, 1920

Created on January 21, 1920, it was the first form of trade union organization for farmers in Tunisia, including the big farmers in the northern regions of Tunisia, and its role was advisory.

It was headed by Mr. Al-Taher bin Ammar during the period 1920-1950, which is the real period of its existence.

And its fundamental law provides for alleviating the government with regard to local agricultural affairs and helping it to modernize this sector and has played the role of mediator between Tunisian farmers and French town planners.

Association of Tunisian farmers, December 26, 1928

The first professional organization of Tunisian farmers, which was none other than the Association of Tunisian farmers, was created under the honorary presidency of Taher Ben Ammar, while the effective presidency was granted to Mr. Ali Bel Hadj, who was a farmer in the Tastour region, and among the most important members of this association we can quote Abdel Rahman Al Baji, Ahmed Bouzid, Mohamed Bou Amid, Mohamed bin Ammar and Mohamed Al Asram …

Union of Southern Tunisian Farmers, October 5, 1936

It was created in Sfax in the presence of El Hadi Shaker and was elected to the presidency lawyer Abdel Rahman Aloulou, and among these most eminent members Hussein Belaj and Hassan Fourati.

Association of Tunisian farmers 1937-1945

It was created in 1937 and chaired by Ahmed Bouzid, who had a leading role in establishing most of the farming societies of the Sahel

May 11, 1945

The Association of Tunisian Farmers, chaired by Ali Belhadj, has been re-established and has served as a senior management structure for all the farming associations in the country, as part of the unification of agricultural union work.

Union of unions for Tunisian farmers of October 24, 19455

Founded on October 24, 1945, Mr. Muhammad Al-Saleh bin Hamouda was elected president, Mr. Mohsen Al-Furati Kahia as first president, Mr. Al-Habib Al-Molhi Kahia as second president and Mohiuddin Al- Qalibi, secretary general. This institute then resumed the creation of regional unions.

General Union of Tunisian Agricultural Unions

It was created on June 1, 1946 and was chaired by Mr. Ahmed Najah.

Tunisian Union of the General Farmers Union

It was created in the spring of 1947 and published a weekly entitled “Tunisian farmer” in early March 1947, and the founding conference of this union was held in March 1948 under the tutelage of the French colonizer.

And these farming organizations did not have a national dimension, dominated by the local and regional character because of the obstacles that the colonizer put in place and not establishing themselves in farming circles throughout the territory of the republic, then a certain number of Tunisian national farmers decided to form the general union of Tunisian agriculture.

General Union of Tunisian Agriculture

It was created on April 28, 1947 in the city of Sousse headed by Mr. Mahmoud Yassin facing the Tunisian Union of the General Union of Farmers as part of its relations with the French centenarians. Then this union held an emergency conference on June 13, 1947 in Tunis, the capital. It was named General Union of Tunisian agricultural unions. For her, her activity was very limited.

The emergence of these agricultural union structures paved the way for the circulation of the idea of the emergence of a union structure that unites the ranks and the floor to defend the land and supply and the farmer, therefore these updated structures were successively like bricks which allowed the establishment of the “General Union of Tunisian Agriculture”

General Union of Tunisian Agriculture

It was created in 1949 under this name, the culmination of diaspora efforts and the consolidation of ranks until farmers turned into a strike force and a strategic tributary of the tributaries of the national movement.

A temporary body was therefore formed in 1949, and it was responsible for organizing the founding conference and creating as many structures as possible in the regions so that the committee and the farmer from the deep countryside could be in contact.

Then the conferences continued:

The founding conference from May 11 to 13, 1950

The second conference from May 23 to 25, 1951

The third conference from September 24 to 26, 1954

In 1955, the Yousoufi-Bourguibi conflict worsened, leading to the split of farmers into two parties: the Yousefi Party retains the name of the General Union of Tunisian Agriculture and the Bourguibi Party, represented by the National Union of Farmers Tunisians.

Faced with the rise of the ruling Bourguibist forces, the National Union of Tunisian Farmers was formally appointed and considered the sole interlocutor of the government on behalf of farmers.

Historical stages after independence:

National Union of Tunisian Farmers

The National Union of Tunisian Farmers contributed to the various aspects of the political, social and economic life of the country until Tunisia’s entry into socialism, which paved the way for the experience of solidarity and which had a backlash on the farmers, knowing that its first conferences were held from April 16 to 18, 1959.

National Union of Tunisian Agriculture

After the failed synergy experiment, the Union tried to keep pace with new situations and adopted a new name, the National Union of Tunisian Agriculture since 1975, in order to overcome the differences which hinder the progress of agriculture and the advancement of farmers’ conditions. The designation of the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fishing is an extension of this name and a continuation of its roots.