New Delhi: The GDP growth for the quarter ended September 30, 2004, slowed to 6.6 per from 7.4 per cent in the previous quarter. The dip in the growth rate was due to a negative growth in the agriculture sector.

Consolidated growth in the first six months this fiscal stood at 7 per cent, against 6.9 per cent in the same period last year. The agriculture sector registered a negative growth of 0.8 per cent compared to 3.4 per cent in the first quarter this fiscal, according to quarterly estimates of GDP released by the government today.

Apart from agriculture, other sectors contributing to the economic slowdown were mining, financial, real estate and insurance services.

While mining grew at 4.8 per cent from 6.1 per cent in the first quarter, financial, real estate and insurance services registered a lower growth of 5.9 per cent compared to 7 per cent in April-June period.

The construction sector, however, grew by a healthy 5.2 per cent, against 3.6 per cent in the previous quarter. GDP at factor cost on constant prices (1993-94) stood at Rs3,47,308 crore, compared to Rs3,52,119 crore in the first quarter of 2004-05. For the six months ended September, however, GDP grew to Rs6,99,427 crore from Rs6,53,699 crore in the same period last year.