"It slightly fell (short of the target). After all, if we look at the factors that have influenced it, we must admit that our revenues were not too good and so we cut budget spending," he said here on Monday.
The Central Statistics Agency earlier in the day stated that the economy expanded 4.94 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, bringing the national growth to 5.02 percent for all of 2016.
The 2016 economic growth represented a 0.14 percent increase compared to 2015 when the economy expanded 4.94 percent.
Darmin noted that the 2016 economy grew by more than 5 percent, as the measurement of declining consumption was still good.
"The measurement of the decline is still okay. Hence, our economy still grew by more than 5 percent," he noted.
When asked to comment on the economic growth forecast for 2017, he affirmed that the government was still busy controlling the inflation rate.
BPS announced the January 2017 inflation rate to have reached 0.97 percent, fueled by an increase in administered prices.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
