Goiás has a higher GDP, above the national average.

247 - The state of Goiás has reason to celebrate: its Gross Domestic Product is growing above the national average. This is good news in the economic sphere, showing a different facet of Goiás from that portrayed by its politicians. This information comes from the newspaper O Hoje (or read here):

Goiás' GDP grows 6,6% in the first quarter.

The state's performance was well above the national average, which saw an increase of only 0,8% in the same period.

Eduardo Ferreira

The Gross Domestic Product of Goiás (GDP) grew 6,6% in the first quarter of 2012, registering a performance well above the national average, which saw an increase of only 0,8% in the same period. The result surprised even Secretary Giuseppe Vecci, of the State Secretariat of Management and Planning (Segplan), responsible for releasing the data yesterday morning. "This demonstrates that the Goiás economy continues to be thriving."

"At this moment of gains, we need to expand and reformulate the investment attraction policy for Goiás and continue developing the work of prospecting businesses that are positive for our development," said the manager, after comparing Goiás' GDP with Brazil's. According to Vecci, the numbers – although they are a "momentary snapshot" of the state's economy – should be celebrated, as they reflect "a set of successful public policies implemented by the state government," he said during the event held at the headquarters of the Regional Council of Economics (Corecon-GO), which also included the presence of the president of the agency, Álen Rodrigues de Oliveira, and the superintendent of Statistics, Research and Socioeconomic Information of Segplan, Lillian Prado.

This was the second time the department released the quarterly GDP figures, which reflect the state's current economic situation, relating its indices to the national context, preceding the calculations of the annual GDP. According to Segplan, Goiás' GDP growth in the first quarter of 2012 is mainly a result of the performance of agriculture and industry.

During this period, agriculture registered a growth rate of 9,7%, due to increases observed in temporary crop cultivation, which advanced 9,5%. The grain harvest in Goiás grew 10,7% this year, according to the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), March data. This result positions Goiás as the fourth largest national producer.

According to the same IBGE survey, soybeans, the state's main crop, saw an increase of 7,4%. Corn (33,9%) and beans (19,9%) also stood out. Sugarcane and sorghum, however, registered decreases of 2,2% and 16,7%, respectively. Segplan also found that the livestock sector showed an increase of 3,8%.

Other sectors: Regarding the industry in Goiás, in the first quarter of this year, the recorded rate was 9,5%, with emphasis on the manufacturing industry, which had an increase of 9,9%. The volume of added value of industrial public utility services (electricity, gas, water and urban cleaning) expanded by 22,4% in the period, mainly due to the increase in the generation and consumption of electricity compared to that recorded in the same quarter of the previous year.

According to the IBGE's Monthly Industrial Survey – Physical Production (PIM-PF), there was an 18,8% growth in the industry of Goiás in the first quarter of this year. The manufacturing industry had a rate of 20,1%, with emphasis on the 84,7% expansion in the manufacture of chemical products, influenced by pharmaceuticals. The non-metallic minerals segment registered an index of 18,1%, driven by cement production.

The service sector grew by 4,5% compared to the same period in 2011. Trade and transportation contributed to this expansion.