Tunisia Q1 apparel exports fall by volume as value rises

Textile and apparel exports from Tunisia have fallen 2.5% in volume terms in the first quarter of 2019, according to new data from the country's National Institute of Statistics.

Textile and apparel exports from Tunisia have fallen 2.5% in volume terms in the first quarter of 2019, according to new data from the country’s National Institute of Statistics.

Overall, total exports fell 3.5% in volume terms for the first three months of 2019. But a 20.5% hike in export price increases meant the value of exports was higher – with textile, leather and clothing exports by value growing 14.8% year-on-year to TND26.2bn (US$8.7bn).

Earlier this year Tunisian head of government, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, signed an agreement with UTICA (the Tunisian Union of Industry, Business and Artisans) and FTTH (the Tunisian Textile and Garment Federation) to create a public/private partnership to push through a five-year recovery and development plan.

The plan involves the government pledging TND100m (US$33m) to boost development and leverage further investment of TND350m (US$115m) from both private sector and private equity funds. The ambition is to create a more vertically integrated supply chain along with 50,000 new jobs by 2023, elevating the Tunisian clothing sector to one the top five producers supplying Europe.