The Budget and Finance Committee of Parliament has observed that the country has under-performed economically in the past five years.

Chairperson of the committee Rhino Chiphiko said this in Parliament on Thursday as part of the committee’s response to the mid-year budget statement.

Chiphiko said the increased levels of poverty in the country is one of the factors which is determining the under performance of the economy.

He said though the country has made macro-economic gains in the past years such gains are not trickling down to ordinary Malawians who are getting poor each passing day.

But the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and development told the press that the current economic policies being followed by the current administration have laid a foundation which will help in growing the economy.