The continuous depreciation of the Tunisian dinar has so far not led to any improvement in the balance of the country’s trade balance, since the decline in export prices has not allowed a rise in these volumes allowing to progressively overcome the negative-price effect recorded on imports.
From one month to another, this observation is confirmed. Thus, according to the data of the National Institute of Statistics (INS), during the first ten months of the current year, exports recorded in volume (constant price) an increase in exports of the order of only 4.0% and on the import side of the order of 1.5% compared to the same period in 2017. Indeed, it appears that prices increased by 15.6% for exports and 18.8% for imports.
In the first ten months of 2018, exports by volume increased 57.0% for the agriculture and agri-food sector compared with the same period last year. In addition, exports by volume fell in the mining, phosphate and derivatives sectors by 14.7% and energy by 17.3%.
Regarding imports, the volume trend is marked by an increase in the energy and lubricant sector of 19.5% against a decline recorded in the sector of mines, phosphates and derivatives of 4.8 %.
Excluding energy, prices increased at export by 14.5% and at import by 18.9%. Indeed, during the first ten months of the current year, energy prices recorded increases of around 30.9% for exports and 15.8% for imports.
In current values, Tunisia’s exports reached the value of 33.2 billion dinars in the first ten months of the year, while the imports amounted to 49.2 billion, thus posting a rise of 20.2% at exports and of 20.5% at import, compared with the same period of 2017.
