Cuba Economy Grew 12.5% in First Half

By Guillermo Parra-Bernal

Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Cuba's economy grew 12.5 percent in the first half of 2006, boosted by a surge in the construction, transport and services industries, Economy and Planning Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez said.

This year the economy is likely to attain a second straight year of growth exceeding 10 percent as local investment and proceeds from exports such as nickel and sugar cane boost government coffers and workers' incomes, Rodriguez said at a press conference in Havana.

``We are moving forward in our policies of favoring workers' income, keeping unemployment at low levels and investing in our future ability to generate electricity at lower costs,'' Rodriguez says.
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