Morocco's 1999 GDP to grow by 0.2%

Morocco's gross domestic product will grow by 0.2% in 1999, compared to 6.5% in 1998, the statistics department said in its forecasts.

The slump is attributed to the drought which hit Morocco this year, dealing a serious blow to the North African nation's agricultural harvest. Drought is a cyclical phenomenon in Morocco that occurs at an average of one dry season every three years.

The statistics department put last March the 1999 GDP growth expectations at 3%.

According to the official organization, the fall of agricultural activity by 11% and of cereal output by 44% will contribute to the low GDP growth.

The slowness of economic activity entailed a worsening in unemployment rate which reached more than 21% in urban zones.

Agriculture accounts for 20% of Morocco's GDP and employs nearly half of a 10 million workforce.