The Tunisian economy should register a growth of 2.5% in 2016 against a rate of 0.5% expected in 2015, the Minister of Finance, Slim Chaker, announced on 16 October. This forecast remains far below the average of 5% noted in the ambitious 2016-2020 development programme recently presented by the government. Mr. Chaker also specified that the budget deficit should be back down to 3.9% of the GDP next year against 4.4% this year.

The weak growth registered in 2015 is mainly explained by the disastrous consequences of the terrorist attacks on the Bardo museum in March and on the el-Kantaoui Port in June, which led to the death of 60 people, 59 of which were tourists.

According to the Minister of Finance, this North African country which completed its political transition at the end of 2014 after four years of troubles following the 2011 revolution “avoided the worst-case scenario” this year due to the drop in oil prices but also thanks to a spectacular increase in the “olive oil and dates exports”.

The exports of olive oil, a crop which is the main pillar of the agricultural sector, reached 300,000 tons by end September, and generated estimated revenues of over 1.9 billion dinars (€860 million) against less than 500 million dinars (€230 million) for 2014. This figure makes Tunisia the first exporter of olive oil, ahead of Spain in 2015.

Approximately 100,000 tons of date were exported by end September, also generating a record 462 million dinars in revenues (€210 million).