(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
TUNIS, 10th August, 2017 (WAM) -- The trade balance showed a deficit of 8,628 million Tunisian Dinar (MTD) in the first seven months of 2017 against the 6,856.3 MTD during the same period last year.
This was triggered by the faster pace of import growth (+18.8 percent) than exports (15.9 percent), the National Institute of Statistics (INS) said.
This gap is the result of the deficit recorded with some countries such as China (-2,378.5 MTD), Italy (-1,156.8 MTD), Turkey (-1,014.8 MTD), Russia (- 840 MTD) and Algeria (-259.7 MTD).
However, the trade balance recorded a surplus with other countries, mainly France (+1,747.3 MTD), Libya (+443.4 MTD) and the United Kingdom (150.2 MTD).
The trade deficit, exclusive of energy, stands at 6,505.5 MTD; the deficit in the energy balance is estimated at 2,122.6 MTD (24.6 percent of the overall deficit) against 1,859.2 MTD in the first seven months of 2016, the INS said, as quoted by state news agency (TAP).
The value of exports reached 19,128.9 MTD, compared with 16,507.3 MTD during the same period in 2016, while the value of imports reached 27,756.9 MTD against 23,363.6 MTD in 2016, recording an 18.8 percent rise against the 16.4 percent during the first half of 2017 and -0.7 percent during the same period in 2016.
Tunisian exports to the European Union (75.4 percent of the overall exports) edged up 19.9 percent. This increase is the result of a rise in exports to certain European partners, such as Italy (+26.8 percent), Germany (+25 percent) and Belgium (+14.2 percent).
As for Maghreb countries, exports fell 22.3 percent with Algeria and 10.7 percent with Libya, while exports to Morocco rose 20.2 percent.
As regards imports, trade flows in goods with the European Union (54.3 percent of the overall imports) climbed 21.4 percent to reach 15,061.6 MTD. France and Italy are still the main suppliers with respective shares of 15.2 percent and 15.8 percent.
Imports increased 13.3 percent with France and 29.9 percent with Italy.
WAM/Tariq alfaham
MENAFN1008201700610000ID1095720395
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