Alarming Economy :: Charter'97 :: News

The government drew conclusions on economic performance over the previous five months. Certain criteria changed for the best as compared to the results of the first quarter, but there had been no general improvement of the situation. The economic condition remains saddening. And saddening it is, especially for the government officials, for Alexander Lukashenko swore he would send them home, given there’s no cardinal improvement of the situation.

GDP rise in January-May constituted 104,3% (forecast for the first half-year implies 104,9% growth). The government remains worried over the inflation rates. The average index of consumer prices amounts to 3,5%. By late May, as compared with December 2001, its surplus amounted to 18,6%.

Nor did we manage to fulfill the planned parameters in the manufacture of industrial production and consumer goods, the volume of exterior trade and export, decrease in the amount of goods produced. There have been fulfilled only 8 out of 16 major parameters. During the first four months there had been seven of them. According to the official statistics, the rise in the volumes of industrial production constituted 3,1% as compared with the analogous period last year. Such amount is definitely insufficient for reaching by July the expected 5,5%.

Meantime, there had been recorded rise in the number of import on the market. At the same time more than ? of goods manufactured remain in the storehouses. In car-building and metal processing the volumes of stored goods exceeded the average monthly production volumes by 34,7% and in light industry – by 38,1%. The government reports that the state energy concerns have been operating well over the past five months. However, they still did not ensure the full and timely payments for energy resources (the situation improved only in May, when it became warmer). The level of the clients’ payment for the natural gas supplies reached 85,8% (in May – 106,7%).

Surprisingly, according to the state reports, real financial incomes of the population on January-April this year, rose by 17% as compared with the analogous period last year, though the planned increase constituted 5-6%. But hardly everyone can feel that growth – salary indebtedness by May 21 equaled to 59,2bln rubles. Greatest debts in this regard are witnessed in agriculture – 68,1% of the total size of indebtedness. By June 10 the debt fell to 48,6bln rubles, out of which 9bln stand for the March debt.