Following in the footsteps of olive oil, Tunisia’s fishery product exports have made a significant contribution to the country’s trade balance, achieving a surplus of 387 million dinars (MD) in 2024.
This surplus marks a 1.4% increase compared to 2023, according to the ONAGRI report for the fourth quarter of the previous year, published on Wednesday.
The report indicates that fishery product exports saw a slight increase of 0.1%, reaching 846 MD in 2024 compared to 2023.
However, the volume of exports decreased by 1.6% to 36.5 thousand tons. The average export price rose by 1.6% to 23.2 dinars per kilogram.
The most exported species in 2024 were fish (16.8 thousand tons, accounting for 46% of exports), canned and semi-preserved products (9.1 thousand tons, 25% of exports), and crustaceans (8.3 thousand tons, 23% of exports).
Tunisia’s fishery product exports are distributed across 50 destinations. Italy is the top importer (27%), followed by Spain (17%) and Libya (12%).
Sea bream, sea bass, tuna, blue crab…
Blue crab exports amounted to 6.07 thousand tons, valued at 75.9 MD in 2024, declining by 14.3% in volume and 10.6% in value. The average price reached 12.53 dinars per kilogram in 2024, compared to 12.01 dinars per kilogram in 2023.
Blue crab is primarily exported to Asia (68.9%), Europe (10.8%), America (11.3%), and Australia (8.7%).
Sea bream exports totaled 5.41 thousand tons, valued at 104 MD, declining by 37% in volume and 25% in value.
Sea bream was mainly exported to Asia (48.5%), Europe (14.2%), Africa (23.5%), and America (13.8%).
Sea bass exports, on the other hand, increased by 46% to 21.8 MD in 2024. The volume exported also rose by 46.9% to 914 tons. However, the average export price decreased by 0.6% to 23.8 dinars per kilogram.
Sea bass was primarily exported to 13 destinations, with America leading (64.2%), followed by Asia (29%), Europe (4.9%), and Africa (4.5%).
Tuna exports reached 144.8 MD in 2024, a 13.4% decline compared to 2023. However, the volume exported increased by 39% to 5.4 thousand tons. The average export price dropped significantly by 37.7% to 26.7 dinars per kilogram. Tuna was mainly exported to Europe (52.4%), Asia (45.1%), and America (2.4%).
Decline in imports
The value of fishery product imports decreased by 1.1% to 459 MD in 2024 compared to 2023. The volume imported also fell by 5.9% to 71.3 thousand tons. Import prices increased by 5.2% compared to 2023, reaching 6.4 dinars per kilogram. Fish accounted for 91% of fishery product imports in 2024.
The imported quantities are primarily intended for industrialization (77%), market supply (20%), and fattening (3%).
