Tunisia’s trade deficit has dropped by 20.8% in the first four months of 2015, compared with the same period last year. The decrease was 933.6 million Tunisian dinars (MTD) in value, according to statistics from the Ministry of Trade.
The trade deficit reached 3,551.7 MTD at the end of April 2015, against a deficit of 4,485.3 MTD in the same period in 2014.
According to the same data received by TAP, the highest value of the deficit was recorded in the first four months of the period between 1993 and 2014, against a widening of 31.4% or 1,073 MTD in the first four months of 2014.
The initial first results of external trade were marked by an improvement in the coverage rate of imports by exports, i.e. a 6.2% increase compared to the previous year.
In percentage, the coverage rate of imports by exports has reached 73.3% at the end of April 2015 against 67.1% in the same period in 2014.
The Ministry of Trade explained the dropping trade deficit by a 6.3% growth in exports to 9,726.5 MTD against a value of 9,154.3 MTD, recorded from January to April 2014.
The Ministry added that the trade deficit has decreased after the fall in the value of imports (-2.6%), which stood at 13,278.2 MTD against 13,639.6 MTD, earlier.
Statistics showed that the boom in exports (125.3%), is due, primarily, to increasing external sales of agricultural and agri-food products, particularly olive oil exports.
The group of food products continues to achieve a commercial surplus this year, unlike the previous year.
Moreover, mechanical and electrical sector’s exports rose 3.5%, with sales in this sector growing 5.5% in April 2015.
The fall in import of consumer products continued, reaching a rate of 3% against a rise of 7.2% in the first four months of 2014.
The same statistics showed a widening in the deficit of the energy trade balance with a value close to 76 MTD. To the end of April 2015, the energy deficit was 1,223.6 MTD against 1,147.3 MTD in the same period in 2014.
This larger deficit is due essentially to the decline in energy exports, particularly those of crude oil with a decline of 355 MTD.
