Belarusian economy expands 1.2% in H1
MINSK. July 21 (Interfax) - GDP in Belarus grew 1.2% year-on-year in real terms in the first half of 2014, to 340.7 trillion Belarusian rubles, the Belarusian Statistics Service reported.
Industrial output fell 1% to 326 trillion Bel. rubles. Agricultural production fell 4.3% to 37.3 trillion Bel. rubles.
Fixed capital investment dropped 6.7% to 94.1 trillion Bel. rubles. Retail trade turnover jumped 10.9% to 142.8 trillion Bel. rubles.
The Belarusian economy grew 0.9% in 2013, below a targeted 8.5%. The government targets 3.3% growth in 2014.
The World Bank and Eurasian Economic Commission forecast the Belarusian economy will grow 0.5% this year, but the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has lowered its forecast to zero growth.
The official exchange rate on July 21 stood at 10,270 Bel. rubles/$1.