The Trade and Export Development Ministry is working on the revision of the provisions of the Free Trade Agreement with Turkey in a bid to reduce the trade deficit. In this respect, the ministry is considering to expand the list of products excluded from the privileged regime, especially similar products manufactured on the local market and industries facing difficulties due to increased Turkish imports. Further trade defence measures are activated as the national industry has been affected by unfair import practices or massive imports, the ministry said in a document released in the weekend. This in addition to confronting the growing protectionism in many countries. Rationalisation of Imports This includes protectionist taxes to provide additional resources for public treasury and setting up a platform for registering foreign exporters authorised to export their products to Tunisia, in coordination with relevant structures. For some products, technical conditions and registration fees will be imposed on exporters seeking to access the Tunisian market. In order to tackle anarchic importation, the ministry said, a pre-import control system for consumer products was set up. Controlling the origin of products was stepped up to counter counterfeiting by some exporters in an attempt to access the privileged regime, in addition to combating false declarations of the value of goods in order to promote the mobilisation of resources, the document further reads. Exports Development Progress in digitising foreign trade procedures reached over 50%. The move encompasses 70 banking and customs procedures and transport and technical control procedures for exports and imports. Digitisation will be rolled out to all ports. A management by objectives unit to digitise and ease foreignn trade procedures is in the pipeline. The "SOS EXPORT" service will also be modernised to handle challenges facing economic operators, especially exporters, and identify appropriate solutions as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the ministry said preparations for the 2nd Higher Export Council meeting are underway; works will focus on the African market and training and logistics. Tunisia's foreign trade at constant prices during the first seven months of 2023 show that exports edged up 11.1% against 23.1% during the same period in 2022, reaching TND 36,151.1 million against TND 32,529.1 million during the same period in 2022. Higher exports were driven by the growth observed in several sectors, particularly the agri-food industries (+13.6%), textiles, clothing and leather (+13.3%) and mechanical and electrical engineering industries (+19.4%), said the National Institute of Statistics (French: INS) . Meanwhile, energy exports slumped 28.8%; those of phosphates and by-products followed suit, falling 5.4%. Tunisian exports to the European Union (71.4% of all exports) rose 15.7%.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse