Demand for red meat, poultry and fish in Tunisia: a generalized addilog demand system

This paper provides an analysis of red meat, poultry and fish demand in Tunisia using multi-equational econometric systems with time series data. Different dynamic versions of the GADS (Generalized Addilog Demand System) are specified and estimates. Results from functional form tests indicate that the model in Error Correction Form fits better the data and is used for red meat and fish demand analysis. Results shown that demand is responsive to prices and total expenditure on meat and fish. Calculated elasticities, based on the estimated model with both homogeneity and symmetry imposed, indicate that both poultry and mutton and goat meats are revealed as necessity goods. Substitution effects are mainly present showing the strong competition among the several types of meats. Comparison with other studies has showed the benefits from using desaggregated data when estimating demand relations.