Soybean oilcake market in Tunisia

Earlier Report Observations

The Tunisian soybean oilcake market began the period with significant production capacity following the expansion of Carthage Grains' soybean crushing facilities and the construction of a new extrusion unit by the Société de Nutrition Animale in 2017. This supported a market volume of nearly 597 thousand tons in 2018. The market contracted to 484 thousand tons in 2019 before rebounding sharply to 666 thousand tons in 2020. This growth was driven by increased demand from the livestock sector, linked to herd rebuilding, and a broad rise in oilseed and oilcake prices in the second half of the year.

Market conditions tightened in 2021, with volume falling to 421 thousand tons. A key driver was a sharp increase of around 40% in the import prices of agricultural commodities, including oilcakes, which pressured the animal husbandry sector highly dependent on imported plant proteins. The market recovered partially in 2022 and continued to grow in 2023, reaching 510 thousand tons. This recovery was underpinned by the growing domestic soybean crushing industry, which ramped up its capacity to produce both cooking oil and animal feed meal.

Production soybean oilcake in Tunisia

In kind, 2017-2020, K t

From 2017 to 2020, Tunisia ranked 29th globally in soybean oilcake production.

Top producers of soybean oilcake, 2017-2020

World map of production of soybean oilcake, 2017-2020

In 2020, Tunisia produced 525.9 thousand tons of soybean oilcake, marking a significant 11.6% increase from the previous year. Over the 2017-2020 period, production grew by 31.2%, with an average annual growth rate of 9.5%. The highest production level was recorded in 2018 at 559.8 thousand tons, which represented a 39.7% increase. In contrast, 2019 saw the largest decline of 15.8%.

Annual dynamics of production in Tunisia in kind, 2017-2020, K t

Exports soybean oilcake from Tunisia

Exports in kind, K t

The market displayed volatility during the observed period. Exports reached their lowest point in 2018 and peaked in 2017, with a 116-fold difference between these years. In 2020, Tunisia exported 0.6 thousand tons of soybean oilcake, a sharp 99.1% decrease compared to 2019.

Annual dynamics of product's exports from Tunisia in kind, 2017-2020, K t

From 2017 to 2020, Libya remained the primary buyer of Tunisian soybean oilcake, accounting for 82.3% of total exports in volume.

Structure of product's exports in kind by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's exports from Tunisia in kind, 2017-2020

Exports in value, K $ US

Market performance showed noticeable fluctuations over this period. Exports were at their lowest in 2018 and highest in 2017, with a 121-fold gap between these years. In 2020, Tunisia's soybean oilcake exports in value terms reached 219 thousand US dollars, reflecting a dramatic 99.2% year-over-year decline.

Annual dynamics of product's exports from Tunisia in value, 2017-2020, K $ US

Throughout 2017-2020, Libya was the main export partner in value terms, representing 80.5% of total export flows.

Structure of product's exports in value by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's exports from Tunisia in value, 2017-2020

Imports soybean oilcake to Tunisia

Imports in kind, K t

The market trend was unstable during this timeframe. Imports bottomed out in 2019 and peaked in 2020, with an 11.3-fold difference between these years. In 2020, Tunisia imported 141.0 thousand tons of soybean oilcake, a substantial 1 033.6% increase from the previous year. The lowest import volume was recorded in 2019 at 12.4 thousand tons, which represented a 66.5% decline.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Tunisia in kind, 2017-2020, K t

Between 2017 and 2020, Argentina was the key and nearly exclusive source for Tunisia's soybean oilcake imports in volume, making up 94.9% of total flows.

Structure of product's imports in kind by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Tunisia in kind, 2017-2020

Imports in value, K $ US

Market behavior was characterized by volatility in these years. Imports hit their lowest point in 2019 and peaked in 2020, with an 11.3-fold difference. In 2020, Tunisia's soybean oilcake imports in value terms amounted to 51 368 thousand US dollars, showing a significant 1 029.3% increase compared to the previous year. The minimum value was recorded in 2019 at 4 548 thousand US dollars, which marked a 72.3% decline.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Tunisia in value, 2017-2020, K $ US

From 2017 to 2020, the import market was highly concentrated, with Argentina alone responsible for 93.4% of total imports in value terms.

Structure of product's imports in value by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Tunisia in value, 2017-2020