drought, and food shortages. Consequently the
economy has shown little progress in recent years in overcoming a
severe setback brought on by civil war in the late 1980s. More than
80% 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 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 favorable 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; in contrast to other
Francophone countries, Chad continued to suffer high inflation in
1995 because of the government's lack of financial discipline. Oil
production in the Lake Chad area remains a distant prospect and the
subsistence-driven economy probably will continue to limp along in
the near term.

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

GDP real growth rate: 4% (1994 est.)

GDP per capita: $600 (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 49%
industry: 17%
services: 34%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 41% (1994 est.)

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

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $120 million
expenditures: $363 million, including capital expenditures of $104
million (1992 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
production: 80 million kWh
consumption per capita: 13 kWh (1993)

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

Exports: $132 million (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: cotton, cattle, textiles, fish
partners: France, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zaire, Sudan, Central African
Republic

Imports: $201 million (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: machinery and transportation equipme