civil war in the late 1980s. About 85% of
the work force is involved in subsistence farming and fishing. Cotton
is the major cash crop, accounting for at least half of exports. Chad
is highly dependent on foreign aid, especially food credits, given
chronic food shortages in several regions. Of all the Francophone
countries in Africa, Chad has benefited the least from the 50%
devaluation of their currencies on 12 January 1994. Despite an
increase in external financial aid and price increases for cotton -
the primary source of foreign exchange - the corrupt and enfeebled
government bureaucracy continues to postpone payment of public sector
salaries and to dampen economic enterprise by neglecting payments to
domestic suppliers. The devaluation resulted in stepped-up inflation
of 41% in 1994; inflation fell to 9% in 1995 but it remains high
compared with other Francophone countries. In one favorable
development, Chad in December 1996 concluded an agreement with
ESSO/Chad (EXXON) for drilling and extracting petroleum at Doba. Oil
will be piped through Cameroon for export.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.3 billion (1995 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $600 (1995 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 48%
industry: 18%
services : 34% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 9% (1995 est.)

Labor force: NA
by occupation : agriculture 85% (subsistence farming, herding, and
fishing)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues : $136 million
expenditures: $222 million, including capital expenditures of $107
million (1994 est.)

Industries: cotton textiles, meat packing, beer brewing, natron
(sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: 40,000 kW (1991)

Electricity - production: 70 million kWh (1991)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 14 kWh (1991 est.)

Agriculture - products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice,
potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Exports:
total value: $226 million (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: cotton, cattle, textiles, fish
partners : Portugal 30%, Germany 18%, South Africa 16%, France 7%

Imports:
total value: $225 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 39%, industrial
goods 20%, petroleum products 13%, foodstuffs 9%; textiles; note -
excludes military eq