St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2012 Budget Speech by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves

In 2011, the Statistical Office of the Ministry of Finance and Planning in this country, in concert with the ECCB, is estimating a positive economic growth rate for St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 0.8 percent. This economic growth in 2011 has been fuelled by an 18.7 percent increase in tourism, 6.5 percent in manufacturing especially in the production of flour, and beer, and 1 percent growth in construction. Agriculture declined by about 15.2 percent, primarily due to the fall-out from Hurricane Tomas in October 2010, the April 2011 storm, and the Black Sigatoka disease.