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MOSCOW, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 2.2 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2017, Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin said Friday.

The rate was lower than 2.5 percent in the second quarter but still higher than 0.5 percent in the first quarter, compared with a 0.2-percent drop in 2016.

"The GDP grew 2.4 percent in September ... The current recovery continues gradually," Oreshkin told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a face-to-face meeting on the current economic situation, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Russia's agricultural sector increased by 8.3 percent in September due to a good harvest, leading to a 3.8 percent growth since the start of the year despite bad weather, he said.

"There are factors linked with the gradual restoration of salaries, lending and investment activities. These factors will continue to support economic vitality," he said.