Exporting represents for Tunisia and its companies an essential way to generate wealth, create quality jobs and improve the standard of living of the Tunisian population. By enabling them to integrate into global supply chains, exports increase the competitiveness and prosperity of our SMEs. They can benefit from the best business practices and new technologies, and thus expand into strategic sectors with high growth potential. In order to enlighten us on the means of boosting exports to save the national economy, we contacted Slim Kaâbi, manager of the RAI office, who told us that, faced with the renewal of production and marketing methods, laws and decrees have been enacted.
Economic growth depends closely on a multitude of activities, mainly export. Thus, the public authorities seek to promote the sectors capable of achieving the planned goals and the set objectives. At the same time, technical and economic higher education institutions and vocational training centers are helping to create a generation of daring promoters who know how to assert themselves, both on the national market and on foreign markets. Unfortunately, the lack of information remains a persistent handicap!
Boost export
The Export Recovery Action Plan proposes several concrete actions to support exporting businesses, first to ensure the resumption of their activities, then to encourage their growth on foreign markets. This plan also presents financial support measures that are adapted to their needs and that aim to help them consolidate or develop business in Tunisia and elsewhere in the world. More specifically, these actions promote marketing in Tunisia as a first step towards exporting as well as more complex forms of business internationalization. This requires the integration of companies into supply chains and their greater participation in public procurement, both in Tunisia and abroad. Combined with all government interventions aimed at stimulating economic recovery in Tunisia, including through local purchasing, these action plans are helping to restore a positive trade balance and build a stronger, more resilient and wealth-creating economy. collective.
In addition, manufacturing industries and agricultural food production (such as olive oil and dates) could create more jobs and help boost exports and the trade balance. Any company with high-quality production could turn to exporting. The economic operator is called upon to establish relations with the Center for the Promotion of Exports (Cepex) which annually establishes a program of exhibitions and fairs organized in Tunisia and abroad, and this, for the majority of industrial and agri-food activities.
On the other hand, he continued, Cepex manages a state fund called Foprodex (Export Promotion Fund) to help exporters with the costs of transport, and trade promotion abroad.
Energize creation export consortia
Slim Kaâbi also specified that the export consortium is a voluntary alliance of companies, the objective of which is to promote the goods and services of their members abroad while maintaining their financial independence, their autonomy of management and their independence in marketing their products. This would allow cost reduction and access to new markets. Through cooperation within export consortia, SMEs can overcome barriers and expand into a market at reduced cost with minimal risk. At the same time, consortium members can earn profits and accumulate knowledge on how to operate in a foreign market. By joining together, member companies can provide a wider range of products than any individual company.
In addition, the consortium helps its members to develop a real export strategy. This increases their bargaining power with distributors and foreign buyers.
Thus, intermediaries can be eliminated and the profitability of the company’s export operations will be improved. The two main types of consortium are the promotion consortium and the sales consortium.
Benefits of exporting
Kaâbi continued: should it be remembered that the economic operator can benefit from a pre-financing credit for exports (law n° 2019-36 of 16 -4-2019). It can also carry out credit transfers to create commercial offices abroad in order to be closer to its customers (Jort of March 2, 2007). It should be noted that any sale abroad can be guaranteed with a specialized insurance called Cotunace (Tunisian insurance company for foreign trade). As for international trade rules, they are available from the International Trade Center (www.intracen.org).
It should be noted that the export is equipped with little known mechanisms, such as the registration of a model or a brand with Innorpi (law n° 2001-21 of 6 -2-2001). In addition, the exporter pays less taxes than the one operating in the local market. In conclusion, Slim Kaâbi advocated that the globalization of the economy is an absolute truth. A raw material obtained abroad can be transformed in Tunisia, then marketed in Europe.
The strategic location of our country is a major asset for boosting exports. Our young people need to be oriented towards entrepreneurship in order to get used to the economic cycle from apprenticeship to manufacturing, marketing and job creation.