"If we can reach at least a 6.5-percent growth in the third quarter that will be good but the challenge relates to growth in the fourth quarter," he said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said he hoped the national economy would grow faster in the fourth quarter of this year so that the 6.5-percent target set in the revised 2011 state budget would be achieved.

"If we can reach at least a 6.5-percent growth in the third quarter that will be good but the challenge relates to growth in the fourth quarter," he said here on Tuesday.

In view of that he said the government would increase investment growth and the quality of the domestic consumption sector to boost economic growth.

He hoped government spending could be better than last year`s as spending was usually one of the biggest factors of contribution to growth in the fourth quarter.

"What is important is increasing the government spending because I am worried if the progress is like now it will reach only around 90 percent. Although this is equal to that of the years before we must be able to be better," he said.

The minister said he hoped ministries and regional governments would be able to make better budget allocations and realization so that expenditures would not pile up in the fourth quarter.

"Although the total is not big compared to Indonesia`s total economy we all need to maintain that ministries and regional governments could realize budget spending better and more timely," he said.

The National Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded the country`s economy grew 6.5 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2011.

The growth was mostly contributed by exports of goods and services (8.3 percent) and household consumption (2.7 percent), followed by gross capital income (1.7 percent), government consumption (0.2 percent), imports of goods and services (5.0 percent).

In terms of spending in comparison with that of 2010, exports of goods and services rose 18.5 percent and fixed gross capital income grew 7.1 percent.

Spending for household consumption reached 4.8 percent, government consumption 2.5 percent and imports of goods and services grew 14.2 percent.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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