MOSCOW, June 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia saw its gross domestic product rise 6.2% in the first five months of 2006, the economics minister said Monday.
"We will likely have to correct our forecast, and if the [growth] rate continues then for the year we will see [GDP growth of] 6.4%," German Gref said.
Gref also said inflation for this year would be 9%.
"Inflation for the first half of June was 0.1%," Gref said, adding that this was "the lowest index since the beginning of the year."
"We hope that inflation in June will be 0.3%, and in the first half of 2006 6.2%-6.3%," Gref said, adding that in the first half of 2005 inflation was 8%.
"Industrial growth in May, unlike last year, was rather good and totaled 10.6% year on year," Gref said.
He also said GDP growth in May y-o-y was 8.1%, while growth on April was 0.5%.
