Tunisia economic growth hits 3.4 %

Tunisia's economic growth rate hit 3.4 percent in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period of last year, Minister of Regional Development and Planning Jamaleddine Gharbi said here Friday. The minister ascribed this economic growth to the positive development of the added value, especially in agriculture and fishing by 4.1 percent, services by 5.8 percent and chemical industries by 21 percent. This rate was achieved despite the continuing negative growth of textiles, garments, mechanical and electrical industries and dwindling oil output with export prices amounting to 112 US dollars from early 2012 to late October, he added. Consumer price index hiked by 5.5 percent in the first ten months of this year against 3.4 percent in the same period of last year, the minister noted. Joblessness in Tunisia dropped from 18.1 percent in the first three months of this year to 17.6 percent in the third quarter of the same year, he said. Allocations to the tune of 6.5 billion Tunisian dinars have been earmarked for the North African country's development blueprint, the minister pointed out.