The European Investment Bank, the lending arm of the European Union, has approved a 220 million euro loan ($233 mln) for Tunisia, including 150 million euros in emergency support for food security, the Tunisian Ministry of Economy said on Sunday.

Tunisia is in a deep financial crisis which has resulted in a shortage of many food commodities in recents weeks.

Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Elyess Hamza said the loan will help Tunisia to regularly supply soft wheat.