BUENOS AIRES, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Thursday expressed confidence in his country's economic prospects after the COVID-19 pandemic, saying economic growth is very strong, employment recovery is real and consumption is growing.

"We have a very well-defined economic program, with production as one of our targets, that is working well because the economy continues to grow, production continues to rise, and installed capacity utilization continues to increase," the president said in a speech at the closing ceremony of the annual assembly of the Argentine Confederation of Medium-Sized Companies.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) "are a major driving force in the Argentine economy and have a great opportunity to grow more if we give them the attention they deserve," he noted.

If SMEs improve their performance, employment will increase, and "Argentina will be in a better position for future development," he added.

Argentina's gross domestic product (GDP) increased 10.3 percent in 2021, after registering a growth of 8.6 percent in the fourth quarter of that year, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses.