Indonesia first quarter GDP seen up 5.7-5.9 pct yoy

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The country's gross domestic product (GDP) in the

first quarter to March likely grew 5.7-5.9 pct year-on-year, Finance Ministry fiscal policy chief Anggito Abimanyu said.

The ministry's estimate tops Bank Indonesia's forecast of just 5.4 pct, and is well above the 5.0 pct growth posted in the first quarter last year.

Abimanyu told a press briefing that private consumption, which accounted for about 63 pct of total GDP in 2006, likely rose 3.6-4.1 pct year-on-year in the first quarter, while government spending rose 4.5-5.0 pct.

Investment in the quarter meanwhile is expected to have risen 6-6.5 pct, with exports up 14-15 pct.

The government has predicted GDP to grow 6.3 pct this year after rising 5.5 pct in 2006.