Demand Analysis for Fish in Tunisia: An Empirical Approach

The aim of this paper is to analyze and determine the factors influencing fish demand in Tunisia during the 1975-2000 period. A Box-Cox transformation is used to select the appropriate functional form between linear and double-log models. Results indicate that the double-log form fits better the data and is used for the empirical analysis. Calculated elasticities from static model show that fish demand is price-inelastic and that fish can be considered as a normal good. However, the dynamic analysis using Houthakker-Taylor model suggests that fish consumption in Tunisia depends on consumers psychological-buying habits. Finally, the values of the short and the long-run elasticities indicate that per capita consumption of fish in Tunisia is growing, but at a slowing rate.