The value of investments reported in regional development areas went up 25% in the first quarter of 2012, from 376.1 million Tunisian dinars (MTD) in the first three months of 2011 to 470 MD, at the end of the first quarter of 2012.
According to the March newsletter of the Agency for Promotion of Industry and Innovation (APII), this increase involves essentially the governorates of Zaghouan, Kairouan, Tataouine, Kef, Gafsa and Medenine.
Zaghouan recorded the largest increase in terms of reported investments with 126.6 MTD against 47.3 MTD, for the first three months of 2011.
The increase recorded in the governorate, is attributable, according to the same source, to the extension of an animal feed manufacturing unit (16.3 MTD), the creation of a plastic waste recycling unit (14MTD), a household appliances manufacturing unit (11.6 MTD) and a manufacturing unit for pharmaceutical products (9.7 MD). ”
As for the investments reported in the governorate of Kairouan, they went up from 37.7 MD, in the first quarter of 2011 to 61.2 MD, reported during the same period in 2012, following the declaration of the extension of a shoe manufacturing unit (28, 9MD) and the creation of a mineral water bottling unit (9.7 MTD).
In the governorate of Tataouine investment rose from 1.4 MTD in the first quarter of 2011 to 9.4 MTD in 2012 (same period), after the announcement of the creation of a mineral water bottling unit in the region (6.6 MTD).
Investments, reported in the governorate of Kef rose to 16.6 MTD against 3.9 MTD in the first three months of 2011, after the announcement of the creation of a semolina mill (7.5 MTD).
Still, according to the same source, the Governorate of Medenine followed suit, with investments in regional development areas of the governorate increasing from 11 MTD to 14.6 MTD, after the declaration of the creation of a marble shaping unit for an amount of 7.0 MTD.
With regard to the governorate of Gafsa, reported investments reached 20.4 MTD against 11.2 MTD during the first three months of 2011.
These investments will provide, in particular, on the creation of a manufacturing unit of articles of cement with a budget of 5.4 MTD.
Despite this increase, the share of investments reported in regional development areas at the end of the first three months of 2012 fell from 50.2% to 44.2%.
