TUNIS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia's central bank said on Thursday that it kept its main interest rate steady at 4.5 percent thanks to a slowing inflation rate.

    The North African country's consumer price index eased to 3.4 percent for the January-August period this year, compared to 5.4 percent in the same period last year as food and energy prices rise slowed, according to the bank.

    "In light of this, the executive board decided to keep unchanged the key rate of Tunisia's central bank," the bank said in a statement.

    Tunisia's economy has recorded a bumper cereals crop and a recovery in energy and mining sectors, but exports, the country's growth engine, fell as the global crisis hit demand in Europe, Tunisia's main trade partner, the statement said without giving comparative figures.

    Tunisian dinar has fallen 2.6 percent against euro over the first nine months of the year and appreciated 0.8 percent against the dollar.

    The government has forecast an inflation of 3.5 percent this year, down from 5 percent in the previous year. It sees gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowing to stand between 3 percent and 3.5 percent in 2009, compared to 5.1 percent in 2008.

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