Peru’s economy may expand 6 percent this year if rising business confidence leads to faster growth in private investment, Andina reported, citing Finance Minister Miguel Castilla.

The Finance Ministry’s official forecast is for 5.7 percent growth this year, Castilla told lawmakers in Congress today, the state news agency said.

Cement demand rose close to 20 percent in March, indicating construction activity is recovering, he said, according to Andina.

To contact the reporter on this story: John Quigley in Lima at jquigley8@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joshua Goodman at jgoodman19@bloomberg.net