(Ecofin Agency) - Between January 1 and June 30, 2019, Tunisia’s current account deficit reached TND9.8 billion (about $3.3 billion), the national institute for statistics indicated on July 9, 2019. Year on year, this represents a 20% rise.
During the period under review, the country’s exports rose by 12.5% to TND22.9 billion. Almost all sectors contributed to this increase but the agriculture sector. Indeed, the agriculture and agribusiness sector recorded a year to year drop of 13.2% following the 42% decrease in olive oil sales.
Boosted by a rise in all sectors, the country’s imports rose by 14.6% to reach TND32.7 billion. The energy sector contributed the most with a notable 35.6% rise, spurred by natural gas and refined products. The foreign trade coverage ratio slid by 1.3 points to 70.1%.
Mouka Mezonlin