Mauritius’ Central Statistics Office (CSO) indica ted Monday that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the island would grow by 2.5 % in 2009, compared to 5.3% in 2008.
In its latest bulletin which was released in Port-Louis, the CSO indicated that sugar production would reach 480,000 tons, indicating a growth of 10 percent aga i nst the 3.7percent recorded in 2008, when production reached 452,062 tons.
It said the other agricultural sectors would grow by 5 percent in 2009, compared to 7.4 percent in 2008.
The manufacturing sector will grow by around 0.9 percent, compared to 3.2 percen t in 2008, with most of the growth being recorded in Sugar miling (10 percent) and food processing.
Meanwhile, Export Oriented Enterprises are expected to decline by 0.9 percent, c ompared to a growth of 3.6 percent in 2008.
In the construction sector, a lower growth rate of 2 percent as opposed to 11.1% in 2008 is expected.
The hotels and restaurants sector will decline by 8.8 per cent due to the econom ic downturn in the island’s main tourism markets as tourist arrivals are expected to be around 835,000, instead of the 93 0,456 arrivals in 2008.
Also, business activities will grow by 8 percent, compared to 10.8 percent in 20 08, due to lower activities in global business as well as in property development.
