Zimbabwean Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa hinted on Monday that the country may miss the 6.1 economic growth target although the number may be higher than international institutions' forecast.

The minister told a parliamentary committee on finance and economic development that growth had so far been positive in the agriculture sector but bearish in the mining sector, two key drivers of the economy.

Chinamasa had projected the struggling economy to grow by 6.1 percent in 2014 but so far the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have downgraded the growth forecast to 2 percent and 4 percent respectively.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in May cut the country's economic growth projection for 2014 to 3.1 percent, and warned economic growth may slid into the negative territory in a year or two.

Chinamasa said he hoped there would be some growth in the mining sector before end of year.

The minister, meanwhile, spoke about the state of the financial sector and bemoaned high non-performing loans at a ratio of 16 percent to debt, saying these were weighing down and affecting public confidence in the financial services sector.

Chinamasa also said he was still considering whether it was necessary for him to present a mid-term fiscal policy review which is traditionally presented in July of each year. Endi

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