National economic research institute experts forecast 4.2-per cent growth of Moldovan economy in 2017

Chisinau, 25 April /MOLDPRES/ - The Moldovan economy will slightly speed up its growth pace to 4.2 per cent in 2017, against an increase of 4.1 per cent recorded last year, the director of the National Institute for Economic Research (INCE), Alexandru Stratan, has said while unveiling an analytical bulletin titled, Tendencies in Moldova’s Economy.     

“We anticipate optimistic results this year, despite factors which discourage a higher pace of growth, such as the decrease in remittances, excessive increase in the state debt, restrictions on the export of native products,” Stratan said. He enumerated also, among the factors which hinder a quicker development of the economy, “the tense macroeconomic and political situation, as well as the worsening of some international rankings.”  

According to INCE, the Gross Domestic Product will reach the nominal value of 147 billion lei, against 134.5 million lei in 2016.  

The publication’s authors forecast a nine-per cent increase in exports, 8.3-per cent one in the goods import, a 4.2-per cent growth of the industrial output and a 3.5-per cent rise in the agricultural production. The forecasts launched today show a six-per cent increase in the average nominal monthly salary up to 5,423 lei.  

The INCE director also said that the Moldovan economy’s developments in the first two months of 2017 were encouraging. “In the first two months, we have a significant increase both in exports and imports. The transfers increased, although we do not know whether this tendency will last. There are positive signals in the industry and transports sector,” Alexandru Stratan added.   

The Economics Ministry in last March revised upwards to 4.5 per cent the estimations as to the increase in the Moldovan economy this year, from the earlier anticipated three per cent.  

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)