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MINSK, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Belarus' gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2017, the National Statistical Committee of Belarus said on Monday in a statement.

The official statistics said in January-March 2017 the volume of industrial production and agricultural production grew 4.3 percent and 1.7 percent respectively compared with January-March 2016.

Compared with the same period of the previous year, investments in fixed assets fell 6.5 percent in January-March 2017, while retail trade turnover fell 1.4 percent.

The Belarusian government expects to increase its GDP by 0.2 percent in the first half of 2017 and by 1.7 percent at the end of the year.

In 2016, Belarus' GDP declined by 2.6 percent.