Tunisia's trade deficit rises to $1.33 billion in first quarter

TUNIS: Tunisia's trade deficit widened in the first quarter of this year to 3.973 billion dinars ($1.33 billion)from 3.655 billion dinars in the same period last year, the State Statistics Institute said on Tuesday.

Imports rose by 14.3 percent to 15.81 billion dinars.  The deficit is one of the main problems facing the government of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed as it grapples with an under-performing economy.

It has contributed to a slide in Tunisia's foreign currency reserves, which are now enough to pay for only 81 days of imports.