The food trade balance showed a deficit of TND 496.1 million. The coverage rate was 89.1%, an increase of 2.4% compared to the end of June 2023, when it was 86.6%. The value of exports is estimated at TND 4,037.6 million and that of imports at TND 4,533.7, according to figures published on Tuesday by the National Agricultural Observatory (ONAGRI).
The decrease in the deficit is mainly due to the increase in exports of olive oil (+44.2%) and the decrease in imports of grain (-3.5%) and vegetable oils (-21.5%), despite the rise in imports of sugar (+139.4%) and milk and derivatives (+69.8%).
The share of food exports in the country’s foreign trade went up by 0.4 percentage points compared to the end of July 2022, reaching 11.2% at the end of July 2023.
The share of food imports in the country’s external trade fell by 0.4% to 9.8% at the end of July 2023. Purchases of grain products decreased by 14.9% in value terms and increased by 4.4% in volume terms.
Prices of grain products (durum wheat, soft wheat, barley and maize) fell by between 16% and 30%.
Other imported products increased in both value and volume, with the exception of vegetable oils, which decreased in both value and volume.
