Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Growth in the manufacturing sector may be better in the second quarter this year as companies start producing again after seeing a still-high consumption growth in the first quarter, the Ministry of Finance says.

"I see that in the second quarter the manufacturing industry may be better... The first quarter was a reaction to the fourth quarter of 2008 as demand sharply declined so that manufacturers halted production," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Monday.

"But if purchasing power remains strong, they [manufacturers] will see that stocks are declining so they will start to produce goods again," she added.

The government expects the economy to expand between 4 percent and 4.5 percent this year, down from 6.1 percent last year.