Poverty.

Minister of Finance: the proportion of the poor amounted to 46.5 percent 05-24-2012 08:04 AM Khartoum - (KUNA) - The Sudanese official document that estimates of the proportion of the poor in Sudan amounted to about 5.46 percent of the total population. She said the document provided by the Sudanese Minister of Finance Ali Mahmoud in front of the Sudanese parliament that the highest poverty rates recorded 59 of the percent of households engaged in agriculture and livestock. He added that the most important policies of poverty alleviation for the time being centered in the achievement of sustainable economic growth as much as 5.5 percent per year and increase savings to 22 percent of national income and to maintain the budget deficit within the limits of one percent of gross domestic product in addition to the focus of public spending to reduce poverty and focus on increasing the productivity of the agricultural sector and the contribution of the industrial sector. He stressed Mahmoud the importance of focusing on helping small producers to increase productivity and competitiveness and improve access to markets, noting that the most important challenges facing the new growth strategy the performance of the agricultural sector and to maintain macroeconomic stability after the loss of oil revenues in addition to rising food prices and increasing inflation and enable the private sector to lead the country's economic growth. The population of the Sudan after the secession of the south is about 32 million people. (End) h h A / h RB KUNA 231833 GMT May 12