According to preliminary data of the State Statistics Service, gross domestic product growth in Ukraine made up 4.4 percent in H1 2011, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on Wednesday, while opening the government's meeting.

"Preliminary estimation of Ukrainian gross domestic product testifies to its growth by 4.4 percent," Mykola Azarov noted. At the same time, he underscored, as UKRINFORM correspondents report, industrial production growth was almost 9 percent in January-June. According to him, the processing industry made the largest contribution in creation of gross added value - over 10 percent, construction - almost 15 percent; machine building grew by 21.1 percent and chemical production - by 22 percent.

"Stimuli worked for the light industry. For the first time we received a 13.4 percent growth. Undoubtedly, the domestic market revived and strengthened. Last year, in H1 retail goods turnover increased by 2.5 percent (and it was a great achievement for that period, following a 20 percent fall), this year, the government's policy on increasing the purchasing capacity of population gave a confident growth of goods turnover by 15 percent," the head of the government said.

Mykola Azarov noted that the government's policy ensured a gradual renewal of the economic growth and on this basis budget revenues grew, which gave possibility to start a stage-by-stage increase of wages in the budgetary sphere. "We understand that actually it is not the needed economy level and the living standard to which we strive, but it is a solid basis in order to put new ambitious tasks to the country," Azarov said.

ukrinform.ua