Tunisia's food trade surplus reaches 943.4 million dinars by May 2026, driven by olive oil exports

Tunisia's food trade balance recorded a surplus of 943.4 million dinars by the end of May 2026, an increase from 745.7 million dinars during the same period last year, according to data from the National Observatory of Agriculture Onagri. This 26.5% progression resulted in a coverage rate of 127.1%, up from 125.7% a year prior. The improvement is primarily attributed to a 43.9% rise in olive oil exports, which generated 3.05 billion dinars, despite a 14.4% increase in cereal imports. Exported olive oil volumes reached 247,700 tons, a 49.9% increase, though the average export price decreased by 4% to 12.31 dinars per kilogram. Excluding olive oil, food exports declined by 9.7%. While average export prices for olive oil, tomatoes, and citrus fruits decreased, prices for fishery products and dates increased. On the import side, cereal prices generally continued to fall, with durum wheat down 13.6%, soft wheat down 7.7%, and corn down 5.2%, while barley prices rose by 3.1%. Sugar prices increased by 11%, and vegetable oil prices decreased by 2.1%. Food remains the only major surplus sector in Tunisia's foreign trade, contributing to offsetting the overall trade deficit, which reached 10.42 billion dinars by May 2026, an increase from 8.37 billion dinars a year earlier. Food exports represented 15.7% of total exports, and food imports accounted for 9% of total imports. The food trade surplus helped compensate 9.1% of the overall trade deficit.