The data issued by the Tunisian Institute of Statistics showed that the trade deficit rose by 18.1 percent at the end of last September to 11.9 billion dinars (4.23 billion dollars), on an annual basis, amid an increase in both exports and imports.
The trade deficit amounted to about 10.1 billion dinars at the end of the period from January to September 2020.
According to "Statistics" data, Tunisian exports improved by 22 percent in the first nine months of 2021, reaching 33.6 billion dinars, compared to a contraction of 16.6 percent during the same period in 2020. On the other hand, imports rose by 21 percent during the same period, to reach 45.5 billion dinars, compared to a decline of 21.3 percent a year ago.
In parallel, the foreign exchange reserves declined by 9.5% in 9 months, to 20.9 billion dinars in last September. Whereas, the decline in cash reserves is due to the decline in tourism sector revenues and exports caused by the closure restrictions that were imposed due to the Corona pandemic, and Tunisia’s repayment of its debts that exceeded one billion dollars last July.
Source (The New Arab Newspaper, Edited)
