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A former Finance Minister, on Wednesday observed that there are some positive indicators in the performance of the macro-economy with the achievement of stability in the performance of the cedi and the decline in inflation. Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo who made the observation said government however needed to move quickly to raise domestic revenue. He said Ghana could not rely on financial inflows from outside due to the effects of the global downturn and therefore it was worrying and dangerous that Finance Minster, Dr Kwabena Duffuor had indicated that domestic revenue had gone down. Mr Osafo Maaafo was reacting to the 2010 budget statement after it had been presented by the Minister on the floor of parliament. Highlights of the budget focused on the need to protect the local economy, work on fiscal discipline, check loop holes in revenue mobilisation, generate and spread revenues from the oil and gas find to benefit all and to address the issue of schools holding classes under trees. Mr Osafo Maafo said it was good that the 2010 budget was going to halt rice, chicken and fish imports to protect domestic economy but government needed to move to boost rice production since it had become a local staple. He said targets should be set for attaining self sufficiency in local rice production to sustain any programme on protecting the economy. On whether government's target of putting up infrastructure and school facilities to solve the issues of schools holding classes under trees, Mr Osafo Maafo said this was possible because of the Ghana Educational Trust Fund. Meanwhile, the majority National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament have lauded the budget saying it was going to strengthen and grow the economy. Mr Moses Asaga, NDC member for Nabdam, said an economic growth rate of eight per cent was going to drive the economy into a middle income country. He said government was going to check all the loop holes and mobilise domestic revenue by for instance, revising the method of collecting the talk tax by doing the deduction in advance. On boosting local rice production to sustain government's bid to stop rice imports, Mr Asaga said rice production was going to be given lots of support through mechanisation and the use of fertiliser. Mr Simons Addai, NDC member for Techiman South, said what was needed was for the government to work on raising domestic revenue. He said it was a step in the right direction that the 2010 budget was discouraging rice importation. Mr Mattias Puozaa, NDC member for Nadowli East, describing the budget as "poor and rural friendly" said with the support to be given to local production of rice, farmers and the rural poor would now have a ready market for their produce. Mr Alfred Abayateye, NDC member for Sege, describing the budget as a "straightening and growing budget" said with the huge debts inherited from the New Patriotic Party administration, government was now straightening the lapses left behind before growing the economy.