According to the National Statistical Committee, in Belarus, in the first quarter of this year, gross domestic product grew by 4%, comparing to the same period of last year, with growth forecast to 11-13% for 2010. Inflation in the first quarter amounted to 2.5% against 6.1% for the same period of 2009, when the planned limits are 8-10%. In March, inflation amounted to 1.1%.
In the first three months of this year, industrial output was 105.9% over the same period of 2009 and reached about 33.5 trillion. rubles, Belstat reported.
Production of consumer goods in the first quarter of 2010 totaled 7.83 trillion. rubles (109.3%) with the forecast of 114-115%. Including, the volume of food production, which totaled 4.26 trillion. rubles (111.1%), and non food production — 3.12 trillion. rubles (107.7%).
The statistics also show that investment in fixed capital and construction in Belarus, in the first three months of this year, totaled 8.338 trillion. rubles and decreased by 2.4%, comparing with the same period of last year. According to the National Statistics Committee, the volume of investment in fixed capital and construction in January-February of 2010 decreased by 9.9%, comparing with the same period of last year.
In the first quarter, in Belarus, there were completed construction works, valued at 4.265 trillion. rubles, what by 4.8% more than during the same period of last year, as was also reported in Belstat.
Commissioning of housing amounted to 1.4 million square meters, what by 6.2% more than during the same period of last year. Including, in rural areas and towns, 553 thousand square meters of housing were built (by 0.8% less), while in the villages — 362. 2 thousand square meters.
Also according to the National Statistics Committee’s data, the number of unemployed people in Belarus — who are registered in job, employment and social protection institutions — at the end of the first quarter of 2010 amounted to 43.8 thousand people (0.9% of the economically active population).
