Tunisia: Determinants of Wheat Import Demand

Rebecca Lent and Erin Dusch

No 278737, Staff Reports from United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

Abstract: Tunisia has the world's highest per capita consumption of wheat and is representative of growing cereal markets in North Africa and the Middle East. It is not a leader in terms of total volume of wheat imports, being virtually self-sufficient in durum wheat. Hard wheat is imported in varying quantities each year to supplement domestic production. The government continues to play a major role in the wheat market, as the sole purchaser of domestic and imported wheat, and by setting prices at all market levels. The United States is one of the major suppliers of wheat to Tunisia, with a market share ranging from 10 percent to 69 percent since 1980. Competing suppliers include France, Canada, and many smaller exporters. Dockage is no longer a major problem with U.S. wheat. U.S. red wheat is appreciated for its protein and test weight characteristics, while European wheat is perceived as lower in quality due to a higher moisture content. Quality, price, and credit programs will be important issues in determining the U.S. share of the Tunisian market in the coming years of agricultural policy reform.

Keywords: Crop Production/Industries; Demand and Price Analysis; International Relations/Trade (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34
Date: 1994-04
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uerssr:278737

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.278737

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