Havana, July 1 (RC/ACN)-- Cuba has ended the first half of the year with its investment plan for the six month period nearly complete and expected to grow slightly in the second half of 2017.

During the first six months of this year, the economy has performed as expected, Economy and Planning Minister Ricardo Cabrisas told Cuba’s Council of Ministers.

Agriculture did well, he said, especially vegetable production, while milk and beef outputs performed below expectations. Raw sugar production, which had increased 20 percent in 2016, fell 300,000 tons shy of the plan. And tourism grew 20 percent compared to the first semester of 2016.

The ongoing drought continued to be a national problem, said the Cuban Economy and Planning minister, noting that at end of May, dams storing fresh water for human consumption remained at 43 percent capacity, with those storing water for agriculture, specifically rice production, standing at 27 percent capacity.

The statements came during a Council of Minister's discussion of a report on the state of the national economy ahead of the mid-of-year ordinary session of Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power, scheduled for July 14th.