The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Chadian global shipments during 2020 at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Chad.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$1.4 billion (92.9% of total exports)
2. Oil seeds: $75.6 million (5.2%)
3. Gums, resins, other vegetable saps: $17.6 million (1.2%)
4. Cotton: $5.8 million (0.4%)
5. Machinery including computers: $961,000 (0.1%)
6. Gems, precious metals: $841,000 (0.1%)
7. Electrical machinery, equipment: $622,000 (0.0%)
8. Fertilizers: $499,000 (0.0%)
9. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $240,000 (0.02%)
10. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $232,000 (0.02%)

Chad’s top 10 exports accounted for 99.9% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Cotton was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 306.9% from 2019 to 2020.

In second place for improving export sales were oil seeds via a 102.8% gain.

Chad’s shipments of machinery including computers posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 36.9%.

The leading decliner among Chad’s top 10 export categories was gem and precious metals thanks to a -99.7% drop year over year. That reduction is principally results from estimated lower international sales of gold shipped by Chad.

Drilling down to 4-digit HTS codes, Chad’s most valuable exported goods in 2020 were crude oil (92.7% of its overall total), oil seeds (5.1%), natural gums, resins and balsams (1.2%), uncarded cotton (0.5%) and processed petroleum oils (0.1%).

Chad generated an estimated $650.5 million product trade surplus for 2020, up by 101% from $323.6 million in black ink one year earlier.

The following types of Chadian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$1.4 billion (Up by 38.4% since 2019)
2. Oil seeds: $73.7 million (Up by 99.8%)
3. Gums, resins, other vegetable saps: $17.5 million (Down by -17.4%)
4. Cotton: $848,000 (Down by -132.8%)
5. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $166,000 (Down by -71.8%)
6. Live animals: $11,000 (Down by -110.7%)
7. Collector items, art, antiques: $6,000 (Down by -109.5%)

Chad has highly positive net exports principally in the international trade of crude petroleum oil. In turn, these cashflows indicate Chad’s competitive advantages under the mineral fuels-related product category.

Below are exports from Chad that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Chad’s goods trail Chadian importer spending on foreign products.

1. Machinery including computers: -US$169.2 million (Up by 46% since 2019)
2. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$101.3 million (Down by -20.5%)
3. Pharmaceuticals: -$83.6 million (Up by 58.2%)
4. Vehicles: -$46.7 million (Down by -53.1%)
5. Plastics, plastic articles: -$35.3 million (Up by 32.6%)
6. Cereal/milk preparations: -$32.5 million (Up by 42.9%)
7. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: -$28.3 million (Down by -33.3%)
8. Miscellaneous food preparations: -$24.1 million (Down by -0.8%)
9. Articles of iron or steel: -$23.7 million (Down by -62.1%)
10. Footwear: -$21.6 million (Down by -7.7%)

Chad has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the machinery including computers product category.

Chadian Export Companies

Not one Chadian corporation ranks among the Forbes Global 2000 listing.

Wikipedia also lists companies from Chad that participate in international trade transactions. Selected examples are shown below.

• Commercial Bank Chad (bank)
• Cotontchad (cotton)
• Mid Express Tchad (cargo airliner)