THE Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) says Jamaica’s short-term economic prospects are generally positive, with growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expected for this year.

Acting Director General Dr Pauline Knight said that the improvement in the global economy, the support Jamaica is enjoying from the multilateral agencies, and the reforms being undertaken, should help the country to achieve GDP growth within the range of 0.0 to 1.0 per cent during the April to June quarter of 2010.

“There is expectation of continued growth in agriculture and tourism and a turnaround in some industries, which were most seriously affected by the global economic recession, such as mining and quarrying, transport, storage and communication,” she explained.

She was speaking at the PIOJ’s quarterly press briefing in Kingston today.

Dr Knight noted that the turnaround in the mining sector will be bolstered by the reopening of Windalco’s Ewarton plant in St Catherine.

She said the PIOJ is also predicting that there will be continued improvement in remittances and exports.

However, she cautioned that the forecast could be affected by shocks to the global economy as well as the risks associated with the upcoming hurricane season and possible increases in world oil prices.

For the 2009/10 fiscal year, real GDP declined by an estimated 2.3 per cent, with real GDP declining by 1.4 per cent during the March 2010 quarter. The agriculture, forestry and fishing; electricity and water supply; and hotel and restaurants were the lead sectors in growth during the quarter.