Main activities in the Centre East region

Agriculture : 

• Useful agricultural area : 1,2 million hectares , half of which are secured by the Sfax governorate.
• Forests : 176,6 thousand hectares 70% of which are located in the Sfax governorate.
• Agricultural hydraulic resources : 4 dams and 40 small lakes.
• Irrigated areas : 26,8 thousand hectares.
• Arboriculture : 785 thousand hectares, 80 % of which are located in the governorates of Sfax and Mahdia, devoted mainly to olive trees.
• Cereals : 117 thousand hectares.
• Stock-farming : 99 thousand cattle, 971 thousand sheep and 87,5 thousand goats. This provides 27 thousand tons of red meat and 270 thousand tons of milk, mainly in the governorates of Sfax and Mahdia which are qualified as being important dairy producers.
• Fishing : 21 fishing ports found all along the coast of the Center East , including the ports of Sfax and Mahdia which secure 59% of the region’s production.

Industries & services : 

40% of industrial national enterprises (employing 10 workers and more), are implanted in the Center-East region, 43 % of which are export-oriented.

The industrial sector is mainly based on the textile and clothing industry which makes up 55% of the industrial fabric and 90% of the export-oriented enterprises.

Moreover, the leather, footwear and seafood industries enjoy an outstanding position in this industrial fabric which is characterized by the existence of a quite important number of small family-owned enterprises.

As far as services are concerned, this sector employs 39 % of the labor force of the Center-East and intervenes in the fields of industry, agriculture, public works and other services related to transport, computer sciences and Internet.

Tourism : 

The geographical location of the region, including tourist zones endowed with leisure spots, several luxury hotel units and integrated tourist centers in the governorates of Sousse and Monastir has made of it an attractive tourist pole.

The Mahdia governorate is considered as a promising pole in this respect given the cultural and tourist heritage which it enjoys (El jem delegation) and the increase in business tourism.

In addition, the acquired knowledge and experience of the inhabitants in terms of handicraft and mainly the transformation of the materials available in the region such as pottery in Moknine in the Monastir governorate as well as textiles have considerably contributed to the promotion of tourism in the region.