Asia’s developing economies will experience lower levels of growth in 2008 and 2009 than previously forecast, as the result of government policies introduced to tackle rising inflation, according to the Asian Development Bank.

The ADB said on Tuesday it had revised up its forecast for inflation among its 44 developing Asia member countries, predicting it would average 7.8 per cent this year and 6 per cent in 2009. In April it had forecast 5.1 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively.