CAIRO, 28 January 2004 — Economic growth in Egypt exceeded expectations by hitting 4.2 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid said here yesterday. He said the economy grew at 4.2 percent between July and September 2003, predicting the rate would be between four and 4.5 percent for the entire fiscal year ending in June. He pointed to growth in the commodities and agriculture sectors. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast in a report in September that Egypt would record growth of 2.8 percent in 2003 and three percent in 2004.