<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: Cote d'Ivoire<nl>Economy</hdr><body>
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<item><hi format=bold>Overview:</hi> Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm-kernel oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for coffee and cocoa and to weather conditions. Despite attempts by the government to diversify, the economy is still largely dependent on agriculture and related industries. The agricultural sector accounts for over one-third of GDP and about 80% of export earnings and employs about 85% of the labor force. A collapse of world cocoa and coffee prices in 1986 threw the economy into a recession, from which the country has yet to fully recover. Continuing weak prices for commodity exports, a bloated public-sector wage bill, and a large foreign debt will continue to constrain economic development, this despite the 50% currency devaluation in January 1994 designed to restore international price competitiveness. A large, non-competitive import-substitution sector continues to thrive under steep tariff and import quota barriers.
<item><hi format=bold>National product:</hi> GDP—purchasing power equivalent—$21 billion (1993 est.)
<item><hi format=bold>National product real growth rate:</hi> NA
<item><hi format=bold>National product per capita:</hi> $1,500 (1993 est.)
<item><hi format=bold>Agriculture:</hi> most important sector, contributing one-third to GDP and 80% to exports; cash crops include coffee, cocoa beans, timber, bananas, palm kernels, rubber; food crops—corn, rice, manioc, sweet potatoes; not self-sufficient in bread grain and dairy products
<item><hi format=bold>Illicit drugs:</hi> illicit producer of cannabis; mostly for local consumption; some international drug trade; transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US
<item><hi format=bold>Economic aid:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>recipient:</hi> US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $356 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $5.2 billion
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<item><hi format=bold>Currency:</hi> 1 CFA franc (CFAF)=100 centimes
<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
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<item><hi format=bold>Fiscal year:</hi> calendar year