The food trade balance recorded a surplus of TND 798.3 million during the first three months of 2026, compared with a surplus of TND 615.7 million in the same period last year, according to data published Friday by the National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI).
The coverage rate stood at 139.6% at end-March 2026, up from 134.8% a year earlier.
In value terms, food exports rose by 17.9%, while imports increased by 13.9%.
The surplus is mainly driven by the growth in olive oil exports (+38.1%), despite higher cereal imports (+7.7%).
Export prices declined by 3.6% for olive oil, 18.3% for tomatoes, and 6.7% for citrus fruits, while they increased by 6.6% for seafood products and 3.2% for dates compared with the same period last year.
On the import side, prices for grain fell by 15.6% for durum wheat, 9.9% for soft wheat, and 7.8% for maize, while barley prices rose by 3.4%.
Sugar prices jumped by 30.4%, whereas vegetable oil prices edged down by 1%. Prices for milk and dairy products also declined by 7.8%.
The country’s overall trade deficit widened by 3.6% in the first quarter of 2026, reaching TND -5,232.7 million, compared with TND -5,049.5 million at end-March 2025.
