Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh called on the country's ministries to pay closer attention to ensure the nation to meet its economic growth target of eight percent this year, the Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.

Bouasone's calling was made at the first six-month government meeting on discussion of the National Revenue Implementation 2008-09 and plans for the rest of the year.

Bouasone said it was difficult to tell whether Laos would be able to attain the GDP growth of eight percent this year due to the effects of the global financial crisis and the floods that had occurred in many provinces last year.

Further work was needed to revise and examine state investment projects, boost domestic and foreign investment, and review investment projects after they are granted licenses by the government, said Bouasone.

According to the Lao Finance Ministry, state revenue was 3.45 trillion kip (US$0.4 billion) in the first six months of this fiscal year, down 58.5 percent compared to the forecast annual target.

However, expenditure in the same period was 4.92 trillion kip (US$0.57 billion), which represents 46.24 percent of the total projected figure for this fiscal year.

The report says the deficit will increase because the government's revenues will continue to fall as commodity prices fall, but the government will not cut back on expenditure in an effort to drive economic growth.

The ministry forecasts government revenues will be 8.06 trillion kip (US$0.95 billion) in the 2009-10 fiscal year and state expenditure no more than 10.26 trillion kip (US$1.2 billion) in the same period.