west sulawesi`s economy grows 6.67 percent

west sulawesi`s economy grows 6.67 percent Sabtu, 24 Februari 2018 10:20 WIB Wakil Gubernur Sulbar Enny Anggraeny Anwar (Humas Pemprov Sulbar) (/) Mamuju, Feb 24 (Antara) - West Sulawesi has recorded an increase in economic growth from year to year, exceeding the country`s average, Vice Governor Enny Anggraeni Anwar has said.

In 2017, the economy of the province grew 6.67 percent as against the country`s economic growth of 5.1 percent, Enny said here on Friday. She attributed the increase to rise in investment and better performance in various other sectors including plantation, farming, and mining sectors.

She also noted significant progress made in the eradication of poverty, saying in in 2016, around 19.30 percent of the people of West Sulawesi were categorized as poor and in 2017, the percentage was slashed to only 11.18 percent. "The percentage was still above the country`a average of 10.12 percent, but the gini ratio index improved from 0.38 percent in 2014 to 0.34 percent in 2017 or the lowest in Sulawesi," she said.

Unemployment rate was also cut from 4.10 percent in 2010 to 3.21 percent in 2017, much lower than the country`s average of 5.50 percent."Improvement in the quality of the people`s welfare is quite encouraging as indicated by continued increase in human human right development - up from 59.74 percent in 2010 to 63.60 percent in 2016," Enny said.Development of infrastructure in the province is focused more on road, communications and electricity infrastructure, she said."In 2017, around 31 percent of the provincial roads of 349.67 kilometers were in good condition and the rest need repairs," she said.

Increase was also recorded in the food crop sector with production up from 365,648 tons in 2011 to 548,536 tons in 2016 or an annual growth of 8.64 percent. The province has always has surplus in rice supply.

Its corn grain production rose 82,994 tons or 281.67 percent to to 284,213 tons in 2016, and its soybean gran production rose 2,433 tons in 2011 to 6,480 tons in 2016 or an annual growth of around 53.35 percent.Enny said the problem is the price tended to fluctuate. Pewarta :