March, 2019 The latest round of economic surveys focused on the outer islands and included the provinces of Tafea, Shefa, Malampa and Sanma. The surveys were conducted during the period of March - April 2019. The survey focused on key sectors such as agriculture, industry, tourism, retail and wholesale, real estate and cooperatives.
Individuals, businesses, and other organisations that participated in the survey were assured prior to meetings that the confidentiality of information supplied would be used for the purpose of the survey. What follows is a summary of these meetings with the intention of providing an overall overview on specific sector developments1. While Treasury’s evaluation of the overall economic outlook is informed by findings from these surveys, a much wider range of information and data is used to ensure a rigorous assessment of the Vanuatu economy.
SUMMARY
The rate of growth continues to remain strong in the Vanuatu economy in 2018 outturn and 2018 estimate and is expected to remain strong, albeit to a relatively slow pace for only a few key sectors over the next few months, which leaves the outlook for the first half of 2019 on a decelerating trend. The wholesale and retail trade including hardware, plus the banking and finance continue to grow but at a slower rate, which is also an indication of a weak consumer demand.
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