President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omer Al-Bashir, said that the performance of the Sudanese economy has amazed several of the economic experts who expected Sudan economy to collapse after secession of South Sudan. Addressing the opening sitting of the seventh session of the National Assembly Monday, President Al-Bashir said that the positive performance of the economy was achieved thanks to a number of factors; the most important one of them was implementation of economic reform programs (the three-year economic program for sustainability of growth). He said that despite the difficult economic and financial conditions the development activity in the country at the strategic fields did not stop as it was aimed to increasing the production. President Al-Bashir said that the past period witnessed completion of three major development projects, which were the heightening of Rossaires Dam at the cost of 400 million dollars, the inauguration of the White Nile Sugar Factory to produce 450,000 sugar tons per year and the opening of the Gold refinery. He referred to the funding of national and state development projects in Darfur states with 389 million dollars, 800 million out of which were for Darfur Regional Authority. He said that the Sudanese economy has maintained a positive growth rate which reached 1.4% by the end of the year 2011.