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hours in the press center		World Bank director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Martin Raiser		World Bank director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Martin Raiser
World Bank director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Martin Raiser		World Bank director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Martin Raiser		World Bank director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Martin Raiser
World Bank director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Martin Raiser		World Bank economist for Ukraine Ruslan Piontkovskyi		World Bank economist for Ukraine Ruslan Piontkovskyi
World Bank economist Pablo Saavedra		World Bank economist Pablo Saavedra

World Bank economist for Ukraine Ruslan Piontkovskyi made this statement to the press.

The World Bank improved its forecast of Ukraine's real GDP growth for 2008 from 5.5% to 6%.

"According to our current forecast, GDP will grow by 6% this year," he said.

As the World Bank expects, agriculture will drive Ukraine's real GDP high in the third quarter.

In the first half of 2008, factors testifying to the overheated economy in Ukraine could be observed, the bank reported.

It report also says that inflation forecast for 2009 is downgraded from 13% to 15.3%, and that for 2010 is upgraded from 9.9% to 9.8%.

Real GDP growth forecast for 2009 is downgraded from 5% to 4.5%, and that for 2010 is improved from 4.5% to 5%.

Nominal GDP, as the World Bank expects, will total UAH 973.4 billion in 2008, UAH 1,170.8 billion in 2009, UAH 1,369.4 billion in 2010, up on the previously forecast UAH 914.5 billion for 2008, UAH 1,082.2 billion for 2009, and UAH 1,253 billion for 2010.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the World Bank predicted that environment for Ukraine's foreign trade in 2008 would worsen and that pace of growth of the NBU's gold and currency reserves would slow down.