1. Performance of Industrial
Production Index
The Industrial Production Index (IPI) rose 4.3%
as compared with April 2007, following a 3.5% year-on-year
increase in March 2008. The growth was contributed
by increases in two components: Manufacturing index
(5.6%) and Electricity index (4.0%). The Mining
index declined marginally by 0.3%.
Month-on-month, the index for April 2008 was down
by 2.5%. The cumulative growth for the period January-April
2008 stands at 5.5% over the corresponding period
of the previous year.
2. Performance of Manufacturing Index
The Manufacturing index in April this year was 5.6%
as compared to April 2007, while the index for March
2008 was 4.4%. As compared with the preceding month,
the April index went down 1.7%. The growth in the
first four months of 2008 was 6.3% as compared with
the comparative period of last year.
The year-on-year growth of the Manufacturing sector
in April 2008 was contributed by the rise in the
indices of 25 out of a total of 38 Groups (65.8%)
covered in this compilation. The increase was contributed
by the Manufacture of motor vehicles (55.8%); Television,
radio, sound or video recording or reproducing apparatus
(53.7%) and Manufacture of footwear (42.9%).
3. Performance of Mining Index
The index of the Mining sector decreased by 0.3%
for April 2008 as compared with the same month of
2007. This was due to the decrease in the index
of natural gas of 9.4%. The crude oil and tin indices
however, were up by 5.5% and 0.5% respectively.
Month-on-month basis, the Mining index decreased
6.7%. The cumulative growth for the period January-April
2008 was 2.7% over the comparative period of 2007.
4. Performance of Electricity Index
The Electricity index gained 4.0% in April 2008
as compared with a year earlier. In March 2008,
the Electricity index was up 8.0% against the previous
month. Month on month increase was 2.1%. An increase
of 4.4% was registered in the period January-April
2008 as compared with January-April 2007.
