MedArtsal, the artisanal salt flats fair of the Mediterranean, kicks off in Tunisia

Madrid, 24 Mar The first edition of MedArtsal, a fair dedicated to artisanal salt flats in the Mediterranean, kicks off this Thursday in the Tunisian capital, where producers, consumers and public authorities from the Mediterranean region will share their experience on the sustainable management of this resource. The fair, which will take place on March 24 and 25, will address the challenges of artisanal salt flats in four Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Lebanon and Tunisia) and will present projects for the development of new products and services in these traditional farms, according to a statement issued by the International Union for the Nature Conservation (IUCN). Among them, the initiatives planned in the artisanal salt flats of La Esperanza, Cadiz (Spain), and in Sidi Al-Hani (Tunisia), with a total budget of 3.2 million euros, of which the European Union (EU) contributes 90% (2.9 million euros). The Spanish representation at the fair will be made up of a group of seven experts from the University of Cadiz (UCA), the Fund for the Custody and Recovery of the Salt Marsh (Salarte) and the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. In addition, the managers of Cadiz salt areas (Salinas de Roqueta and Preciosa; Salinas La Esperanza and Salinas de Chiclana) and Huelva (Salinas del Alemán), will accompany the experts. The exhibition, organized under the theme “Supporting the commercial diversification of traditional and artisanal salt flats”, represents an opportunity to develop synergies and support artisanal salt producers in the Mediterranean”, according to the Director General of the University Consortium of Industrial and Commercial Economics (CUEIM) of Italy, Gaetano Zarlenga. Among the issues to be addressed at MerdArtsal are the possible “sustainable management models, biodiversity strategies, training programmes and international networks” that will allow “to develop synergies and support artisanal salt producers in the Mediterranean”. In this way, MedArtsal will try to shed light on the traditional production of salt flats in the Mediterranean, explore new products associated with salt flats and create opportunities for collaboration between professionals in this “important sector for coastal ecosystems”. The Tunisian-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a partner of the MedArtsal project (co-financed by the European Union), is organizing this first edition of the fair, which will take place in person at the Movenpick Les Berges du Lac hotel in the Tunisian capital and in virtual mode through a digital platform. CHIEF mml/ess