MINSK, 14 April (BelTA) – According to the preliminary estimates, the GDP of Belarus went up by 0.6-0.8% in Q1 2021, Belarusian Deputy Economy Minister Dmitry Yaroshevich told journalists on 14 April, BelTA has learned.
“There is no official data on Q1 yet, but we already see economic growth. According to our estimates, the GDP inched up by around 0.6-0.8%. This growth was coupled with quantitative shifts. We also reported a surplus in foreign trade in both goods and services. In January-February, the surplus exceeded $750 million, with $88 million in merchandise trade and almost $670 million in services trade,” Dmitry Yaroshevich said.
The data on the manufacturing industry has already been processed. The growth rate was over 9%. Positive dynamics was reported in tool engineering, mechanical engineering, and pharmaceutics.
“The financial situation at enterprises also improved. In January-February, their net profit amounted to Br1.8 billion, while in the same period of last year enterprises posted losses. All these qualitative changes give optimism and confidence that the economic growth will accelerate,” Dmitry Yaroshevich noted.
