Development of Tunisia\'s foreign trade in 2011

The volume of Tunisian exports reached in the first eight months of 2011, 16,862.9 million Tunisian dinars (MTD) compared with 15,423.4 MTD in the same period last year, which stands at 9.3% rise. The volume of imports reached 21,787.8 MTD, i.e. a rise of 4.0% compared with the same period in 2010 (20,957.0 MTD), according to the Tunisian Press agency (TAP). Therefore, the imports\'\' coverage rate by exports is estimated at 77.4%, that is a progress by 3.8 points compared with last year. According to the trade department, this development is due to the increase in the exportation of farming produce and processed-food industries (35.7%), and to the rise in the exportations of electrical industries, (29.1%) textile-clothing and leather (9.0%). As regards imports, the rise in their volume in the past eight months is due to the increase recorded in the importation of basic farming and food products,(38.9%) energy (21.8%) and semi-industrialised imports (7.9%). The downward trend in exports regarded the phosphate and by-products (Under 33.1%), and in imports, it was recorded in equipment products (10.7%).