Industrial growth slows to 2.7% in Aug; at 0.4% in Apr-Aug

Industrial output in the April-August period this fiscal was 0.4 per cent, down from 5.6 per cent in the same period in 2011-12, according to the official data released today.

Growth in overall factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), was 3.4 per cent in August last year.

The manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, grew at slow rate of 2.9 per cent in August, as against 3.9 per cent in the same month last year.

The production growth in the manufacturing sector in April-August was flat, as against 6 per cent growth in the same period in 2011-12.

Capital goods output contracted by 1.7 per cent in August, as against 4 per cent growth in August, 2011.

Output of capital goods contracted in the April-August period by 13.8 per cent, as against growth of 7.3 per cent in the 2011-12 period.

However, mining output in August grew by 2 per cent as against contraction of 5.5 per cent in same month last year.

The sector's production in April-August declined by 0.6 per cent, compared to a contraction of 0.5 per cent in same period a year ago.

Consumer goods production was up 5 per cent in August as compared to a meagre growth of 2.1 per cent in same month last year. During the April-August period of this fiscal, the growth in the segment was 3.5 per cent, compared to 4.4 per cent in the five month period a year ago. MORE