Economy barrels on, a tad slower

India's GDP moderates to 8.9 per cent due to poor manufacturing growth but the Govt feels that full-year growth rate will be close to 9 per cent, reports Gaurav Choudhury.

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) moderated to 8.9 per cent, the lowest in the last 12 months, largely due to sluggish growth in manufacturing but a confident government felt the full-year growth rate would be close to 9 per cent.

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Latest official data released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) showed that the GDP grew by 8.9 per cent during the three months ended September, down from the previous quarter’s 9.3 per cent. GDP had grown by a blistering 10.2 per cent in the same quarter of 2006-07.

For the first six months of the current fiscal year, the GDP grew by a robust 9.1 per cent.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram attributed the moderation to poor manufacturing growth, but exuded confidence that full-year growth would still be very close to 9 per cent.

“There is turbulence in the international markets, there is a slowdown in world output and we have adopted a tight monetary stance. Commodity prices are high and crude oil prices are high. All this points to some moderation. But I am quite confident that economic growth this fiscal will be pretty close to 9 per cent,” Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram termed high gross fixed capital formation and a strong farm sector growth rate of 3.6 per cent as upsides for the economy.

“It (high gross fixed capital formation) means that investment continues to be the driver of growth, the capital goods and the construction sectors are buoyant,” he said, and added that wheat production was expected to be 1 million tonnes higher than the previous year and agriculture growth was expected to remain close to the target 4 per cent.

The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) C Rangarajan has projected the economy will grow by 9 per cent in 2007-08 and the Reserve Bank of India estimates it at 8.5 per cent.