Indonesia records 5.01% growth in Q1 on higher prices of commodities

Jakarta

INDONESIA'S economic growth picked up a touch in the first quarter on firmer export prices of some commodities and stronger demand in major trading partners, though analysts were split on how far this momentum will carry through to the rest of the year.

South-east Asia's largest economy grew 5.01 per cent in the January-March period on an annual basis, the statistics bureau said on Friday, matching a Reuters poll and up slightly from 4.94 per cent in the preceding quarter.

The resource-rich country has struggled through years of slowing growth as a plunge in commodity prices hurt everything from exports to investment and people's …