Tunisia’s trade deficit improved by 20.8% to TND 3.054 billion in the first quarter of the current year, compared with 3.845 billion dinars in the first quarter of 2023.
As a result, the coverage rate increased by 4 points compared to the same period last year, reaching 84.2%, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
The results of Tunisia’s foreign trade at current prices during the first quarter show that exports went up 4.3% compared with (+10.9%) during the same period in 2023, to reach TND 16,287 million against TND 15,614 million in 2023.
Imports fell slightly by 0.6%, compared with +5.5% during the same period in 2023. In value terms, imports reached TND 19,342 million, compared with TND 19,460 million at the end of March 2023.
The increase in exports mainly concerned exports by the agro-food sector, which rose by 53.8% following an increase in sales of olive oil to TND 1,879 million, compared with TND 925.2 million in the first quarter of 2023, as well as exports by the energy sector, up 14.6%, and by the mechanical and electrical industries, up 2%.
On the other hand, exports by the mining, phosphate and derivatives sector fell by 21.9% and those by the textiles, clothing and leather sector by 10.3%, while the slight decline in imports was partly due to a fall in imports of raw materials and semi-finished goods (-9.8%) and consumer goods (-1.3%), and partly to an increase in imports.
In addition, the trade deficit was mainly due to the deficit recorded with certain countries, such as China (-1.839 bn), Russia (-1.526 bn), Algeria (-1.130 bn), Turkey (-670.3 bn), Greece (-394.5 bn) and Ukraine (-414.7 bn).
On the other hand, the balance of trade in goods recorded a surplus with other countries, mainly France (1 492 mln), Italy (909.9 mln), Germany (647.6 mln), Libya (373.1 mln) and Morocco (100.4 mln).
On the other hand, it should be noted that the trade deficit excluding energy was reduced to TND 110.8 million. The energy deficit amounted to TND 2,943 million, compared with TND 2,371 million in the first quarter of 2002.
