FINANCE Minister Winston Jordan on Tuesday submitted to Cabinet an end of year outcome statement for 2017.

The macro fiscal numbers contained in the 2018 national budget were reflective of data up to October 2017 and included projections for November and December 2017. Thursday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon told reporters that given the commitment made in the National Assembly to provide a final end of year statement that would provide the actual numbers for the entire 2017, the report will be laid in the National Assembly shortly.
“It was pointed out that the final numbers included in the report will be the subject of intense scrutiny during the upcoming IMF Article 4 Consultation slated for April 2018,” the Minister of State reported.

Harmon said too that the report highlighted statistical data in the following areas: the production of main commodities by sector–sugar, rice, bauxite, gold and forestry. The annual growth rate by sector: agriculture, fishing and forestry, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity and water construction and service industries. It also provided details of prices, the fiscal sector and debt management, Harmon said, as he noted that Cabinet approved the report and directed that it be presented to the National Assembly.