The Dominican economy is estimated to have grown by 1.9 per cent in 2011.
That’s what Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told parliament during Tuesday’s presentation of the national budget.
He reported that the economic performance for the year 2011 remained positive amid continued global economic woes.
According to the prime minister, the economy is projected to grow by 2.0 percent in 2012 and 1.8 percent in 2013.
He told parliament that the improvement in performance was due mainly to growth in the agriculture, construction and tourism sectors.
“The agricultural sector has accounted for 11.7 percent of total GDP with an overall increase in the sector of 5.1 percent” he said while comparing that increase with a 7.7 percent decline in 2010.
He has indicated that the sector is expected to expand further with a projected growth rate of 4.3 percent in 2012.
The House was told that the banana sector is expected to grow by 1.7 percent and other crops by 5.0 percent.
Additionally, the prime minister reported a significant increase in the tourism sector.
He said the hotels and restaurants sector is estimated to have grown by 6.1 percent in 2011.
However the total number of visitor arrivals up to December 2011 is estimated to have decreased by 1.2 percent.
There was also a decrease in the number of cruise calls and passengers “as a direct result of the global crisis”.
The tourism sector is expected to grow by 1.9 percent in 2012.
The Prime Minister also disclosed to parliament that the education sector accounted for 13.9 percent of GDP in 2011, a slight decrease from the 14.2 percent of 2010.
Preliminary estimates indicate a 0.3 percent decline in that sector.
However the prime minister says in 2012, the sector is expecting an expansion of about 4.3 percent driven by an increase in the private education subsector, as a result of an expected increase in enrolment, and supported by consistent growth in public education.
DNO please print this story
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/19/12828957-checkbook-diplomacy-china-pledges-20-billion-in-credit-to-africa#comments
@ Prof. Wikileaks U too greedy, stop selling your soul for the $$$$, what about the moral values of our people that is being diminished?
the economy as gone up………..boy i know for sure it did not increase for your average dominican so i wonder who it increased for
“the prime minister reported a significant increase in the tourism sector.” Why then are hoteliers complaining about sales and visitor arrivals have dropped significantly.
He said, the hotels and restaurants sector is estimated to have grown by 6.1 percent in 2011.
However the total number of visitor arrivals up to December 2011 is estimated to have decreased by 1.2 percent.” How in the world that visitor arrivals has decreased all around yet there’s a 6.1% argumentation, totally conflicting.
There was also a decrease in the number of cruise calls and passengers “as a direct result of the global crisis”. Are we forgetting why the Festival chose to stop visiting our shores, i didn’t remember global crisis as a reason!
The tourism sector is expected to grow by 1.9 percent in 2012. plus how can a tourism sector dependent on cruise visitors grow when the projection of cruise calls has dropped significantly to 90 calls for the coming cruise season.
We as a people has to be able to read and differentiate sense from nonsense, we know what’s happening in our country we don’t need someone to come tell us lies about our lives. we are the ones feeling the everyday SQUEEZE! these people who cook those books are criminals!
I thought the same thing when I heard the budget. Very conflicting. If there is a decrease in tourist arrivals how could there be an increase in the tourism sector? 6.1% is quite a high percentage. How could that happen if the number of tourist and cruise ship coming to the island has dropped? These are the questions that the opposition party need to ask the government. These are the answers that the intellectual segment of the voting population of this country needs befor they can put an X next to anyone’s name again.
On an extended note. The health minister for this county needs to answer to a number of issues. In a space to three months, two of my friends were wrongly diagnosed at PHM. One had already start taking the medication and got significantly worse. I adviced her to check another medical doctor. After she did, she was told that she should stop the medication right away and that she was wrongly diagnosed and the medications could have killed her. What is going on at our hospital? These are the questions needed to be asked. When a hospital does not have parcetamol or bendryl to give a patient. Where are we in this country.
When a number of our private businesses are shutting down leaving so many persons unemployed, how could this be defined as growth. I need answers to these questions and lost more before I can decide on supporting any party. For now I’ll remain an independent (undecided) voter. There are few things that I am satisfied with that this government is doing but there are number of economical concerns that I have that I wish the opposition would address instead of spending hours debating whether the last elections where fair or not or whether the PM is French or English. For me my bread and butter and my standard of living is what matters.
We can never see the growth when we’re being taxed out of our skins
Stop the negative comment, growth is growth even if you all believe it or not. We should be positive sometimes, not everything the government do that’s negative, I am one that believe there was some growth in the economy.
Only one good thing here the pm is placing his dummy percentages by 2010,
where are the comprehensive numbers to help me understand?
i was so dismayed listening to persons like gateway in his budget debate no substance just support.
For the next election I wish we would have some debates, I am tired of listening to unintelligent talk by all those politicians of all colors talk crap.
Woyeeeeeee Dominica going down 1.9% five more
Years of skerrit and that entire country will be peasants.
Poor Ashton, are you not tired of flogging a dead horse, the Carib territory capacity development project was launched early in 2008, you were no where to be seen in politics, you have failed, you have failed, you have failed, and is ready to be dumped, you know it but you are still there, shooting out pure s–t, what are you doing there? the late Odoy did much better than you.
E
conomy grow by 1.9% while National debt is almost a billion $$$ twice the amount of the national budget, What a lie!!!
All dem different percents have me bazoodee..
When people dont know, they dont know. 1.9% is not as significant as China’s 11%, but people, we are a small developing economy, that is not the fault of any government; but lets not forget that we are going through a global financial crisis, and Dominica is on e of the few caribbean countries that can boast of Positive economic growth!! so 1.9% is good
Mr PM it is not you alone who went to school in Dominica nah! Go and read these figures you yourself cannot understand there for the Skerrites, but from where i am, THE DOMINICAN ECONOMY IS IN A LOT OF WE.If it survives 2013 around that time before it crashes, well! well! well!. But i am not surprised, because can you manaage sir? Do you have ministers who can? So Dominicans are catching their tail now, AND THAT’S GOOD FOR SOME OF THEM!.
that’s a damn lie.
The hell it did!
Not from where I’m looking.
Percentages without the accompanying figures say nothing.You see, one can have a 50% increase and this is equivalent to only an increase of 1 if the number is 2. On the other hand, an increase of 10% could be more significant if the number was 100; so please give us the figures so that we may can better understand the alleged increase.
These numbers just don’t add up.
He implies the economy grew by 1.9%
Passenger arrivals DECREASED by 1.2%
A DECREASE in cruise ship calls and passengers.
Finally estimates indicate a 0.3 percent DECLINE in that sector (Tourism sector)
Then he claims an increase in tourism?
So with only four months remaining in 2012, how can the projected growth rate expected to be 4.3%?
Which is an indication that the numbers may be inflated to boost the people’s morale in these tough times.
Skerro you’re not an economist and your degree in in psychology. The people will not be manipulated.
But how can you blame the Decrease in tourist arrivals on the Government of Dominica?? When the global economy is just recovering from a financial meltdown?? Millions of people have lost their jobs! Businesses are crashing, everyone is facing a financial crisis, how do you expect tourist arrivals to increase??
We don’t. We blame Skerrit for purposely trying to manipulate the public with half truths and complete omission of fault and guilt. How can an economy recover when it’s being taxed to death and no attention is being paid to getting money to rotate. When you making man broke their pockets get tight so the rich will stay rich and the poor will get poorer. He trying to implement the infrastructure with the roads but you need businesses to generate income so that money can move. VAT revenue will go down if people cannot afford to buy things. My net and my phone I cutting jest now cuz things hard man.
It really baffles me that Ross University mainly and other education institutions on the island account for a major slice of Dominica’s GDP, yet the government investment is the support infrastucture and amenities to support and grow that sector is so small relative to its GDP output. Is it just me?
I want to answer you but am confuse, what you mean by the Government investment in Infrastructure and Amenities to suppport and grow that sector is small?
Are you suggesting that Government build infrastrures to house foriegn Universities??
Please explain cause i am truly lost!
i.e the govt investment in infrastructure in the picard area. i.e in the government’s approach to other similar investment proposals to Ross University etc …
The Roads, sidewalks, lighting around the Universities should be in great shape(they are not), the security apparatus, police presence, landscapeing should be second to non on the island (it is not). Any and every thing to make the consumers of that comodity more comfortable and enjoyable should be facilitated by the Govt. This sector is bringing in the biggest slice of GDP, it should be treated as such (It isn’t). The fact that we cannot see that baffles me..
The Prime Minister reported a significant increase in the Tourism Sector by 6.1%…However..there was a decrease in visitor arrival of 1.2% PLUS a decrease in cruise calls and passengers.
The only way i can see that posible is if we started Virtual Tourism cause that does not make sense.
I am really confused so someone with some knowledge could you please enlighten me????
I guess that the Chinese workers are tourists.
Lol!
Less Cruise ships mean less visitor arrivals, but it does not mean less overnight visitors by plan.. More people may be coming to places like junggle Bay, so though we have less visitor (ie cruiseship visitor), we have more visitors that spend more money in Dominica, like those that come and stay for a week. So less visitor but more money from the type of visitor that come, means the industry grow even with less visitors..
Dear Prime Minister,
A growth factor of 1.9% in the national economy is of little avail if it is outstripped by the rate of inflation. I don’t know what the current figure is, the Govt. stats. either not being up-to-date or not published but the lastes available public info. is 3.2% for 2010.
Secondly, it is also of little avail if this growth does not lead directly to sustainable employment.
A country that has to rely on grant funding to meet its current spending has a negative economy, whichever way you look at it.Granted, it has not been much easier under previous administrations but to keep “gilding the lilly” and not facing the truth only detracts us from tackling it in a timely fashion. We’ll have to take the medication sometime and I’d rather take it sooner than later. Best wishes.
it is a joke
1.9% Stupes only 1.9% no wonder crime rising in Dominica.
Wow…Dominica sounds like it has a vibrant economy! Maybe I should be there with all this growth!
Your sarcasm is duly noted
Which economy that grew? PM best you say MY economy grew. Leave DA out of that cause we all know that the only thing growing in DA is our debt.
and he and the boys wealth, fellars just buying million dollar lots all around roseau