Qatar eyes 15.5% GDP growth

 

Qatar said on Thursday its economy could grow 15.5 per cent at current prices this year, accelerating from 2007 as it expands its oil and gas sector and ploughs money into infrastructure, construction and finance.

 

Gross domestic product (GDP) of the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) grew 12.5 per cent in 2007, its slowest pace in five years, as the value of oil and gas output slowed, the Qatar Statistics Authority said on its website.

 

Qatar's nominal GDP had surged more than 30 per cent in each of 2004, 2005 and 2006 as the Gulf Arab state that holds the world's third-biggest natural gas reserves boosted output.

 

The mining and quarrying sector, which includes oil and gas, grew 9.3 per cent in 2007, down from 28.7 per cent in 2006 and 46.3 per cent in 2005, the authority said.

 

It should expand another 10.9 per cent this year as Qatar moves toward boosting total LNG production to 77 million tonnes per year by 2010, up from 31 million tonnes now.

 

So far this quarter, the average price of benchmark US oil is $97.59 (Dh358.16), compared with $95.98 (Dh352.25) on December 31.

 

Like other states in the world's biggest oil-exporting region, Qatar has been ploughing windfall oil and gas revenues into real estate, infrastructure and financial services to diversify its economy.

 

Qatar's construction sector grew 22.04 per cent in 2007 and will probably expand another 24.22 per cent this year, while the electricity and water sector will grow 31.37 per cent in 2008 versus 25.68 per cent a year earlier, the authority said.

 

Financial services should jump 27.8 per cent this year, having expanded 23.02 per cent last year, it added.

 

Qatar has yet to release real GDP data for 2007. Its economy is set to grow at 9.9 per cent in real terms this year, the fastest pace of growth in the Gulf Arab region, a Reuters poll showed in December.  (Reuters)