RABAT, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's economy grew by 4.3 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with 1.7 percent in the same period a year earlier, the official High Commission for Planning said on Thursday.
The commission said in a note on the Moroccan economy that this growth was mainly due to the rise in agricultural output by 12.9 percent in the first quarter this year, up from nine percent last year.
Apart from the agriculture sector, which accounts for more than 15 percent of the country's economy, the non-agricultural sector grew three pct in the first quarter from a year ago, the commission added.
As for the second quarter of 2017, the official planning agency expects the economy to grow 4.6 percent in compared to 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016.
The Moroccan economy has been hit hard by a drought in the fall of 2015, which compromised the 2016 agriculture production.
