São Paulo – Tunisia narrowed its food trade balance deficit to TNT 538.8 billion (USD 177 million) at the end of June 2023, compared with TND 1,012.5 million (USD 332 million) during the same period in 2022, leading to an improvement in the coverage rate to 86.6%, the National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI) said on Monday, as per reported by TAP state news agency. Pictured, date harvest in Tunisia.
In terms of value, food exports rose by 10.3%, while imports fell by 3.5%. The decline in the deficit is mainly the result of the rise by 36.3% in olive oil exports and the fall by 15.7% in grain imports, despite the increase in imports of sugar by 118.2%, and milk and milk by-products by 61.8%.
Export prices were up for olive oil, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and dates. Import prices for grain were down by 22.1% for durum wheat, by 16.1% for common wheat, 12.8% for maize and 15.0% for corn.
Food imports accounted for 10.1% of total imports, while food exports represented 11.1% of total exports, ONAGRI reported.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
