17 Feb 2010 14:22

Ukrainian MinFin forecasts GDP growth in 2010 at 2%-3%

KYIV. Feb 17 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Finance Ministry forecasts the increase in GDP for 2010 at 2%-3% in comparison with 2009, the country's Acting Finance Minister Ihor Umansky told journalists on Wednesday.

"Around 2%-3% growth in real [GDP] against 2009," he said.

It was earlier reported that the government forecast GDP growth in Ukraine at 3.7%, where as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) puts the growth figure at 2.7%.

The Economy Ministry said that Ukraine's GDP shrank by 15% in 2009 in comparison in 2008.

The Ukrainian State Statistics Committee has yet to put out its report of GDP in 2009. The agency said that GDP in the fourth quarter of 2009 had decreased by 7% year-on-year in constant prices of 2007. The government set GDP growth in the 2009 state budget at 0.4% and did not revise this figure officially.

The IMF forecast that Ukraine's GDP dropped by 14% in 2009.