The National Accounts Committee (NAC) will review and examine the provisional estimates of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country for the financial year 2015-16 today (Friday).
An official source said the committee is likely to finalise a GDP growth rate of 4.5 per cent against a target of 5.5 per cent for the current financial year.
The economy remained under pressure during the whole year even though the law and order situation improved substantially during the current financial year. The economic stress was mainly from the decline in exports even though the power and energy supplies remained far better than previous years.
Agriculture sector’s growth remained suppressed mainly due to crash in commodity prices. The main crops have registered a growth of less than one per cent. Cotton crop lost 4 million bales, equivalent to Rs 4 billion, rice production also declined. Wheat production increased but the growers got less price ranging between Rs 900 to 1050 per 40 kg against the estimated cost of production of Rs 1300 per 40kg.
The large scale manufacturing showed some improvement, even though the Pakistan Steel Mills remained closed throughout the year. The export sector remained under stress due to decline in commodity prices and low value added products.