21 Dec 2010 19:43

Kazakh president expects over 7% GDP growth in 2010

ASTANA. Dec 21 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan will experience more than 7% GDP growth this year, President Nursultan Nazarbayev has said.

"I think that the country's GDP will grow more than 7%," Nazarbayev said during the presentation of awards to business representatives in Astana on Tuesday.

Industrial output in Kazakhstan will expand more than 10%, while growth in the processing industry will come to 19%, the president said.

"That last is very important for us. We must not live on the natural resources in our ground," Nazarbayev said.

In mid-December, the Kazakh Economics Ministry projected GDP growth would top 6% this year.

Government statistics indicate Kazakhstan's GDP expanded 7.1% year-on-year in January-October this year.

The government was predicting earlier that GDP would grow 5% in 2010.