March industrial production index up 2.8% on year

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's Industrial Production Index (IPI) grew 2.8% in March from a year ago, with growth boosted by the manufacturing and electricity sector.
The Statistics Department said today the expansion in March was supported by positive growth in the manufacturing index which rose 4.4% and electricity index (7.7%).
However, the mining index recorded a decrease of 2.5%.
The IPI in February 2016 remained unchanged at 3.9% year-on-year.
"In seasonally adjusted terms, the IPI in March 2016 declined by 0.4% month-on-month following a decrease in the mining index (2.2%) and electricity index (1.0%). Meanwhile, the manufacturing index increased by 1.4%," it said.
The department said on year-on-year basis, the manufacturing sector output grew 4.4% in March 2016 after an increased of 4.5% registered in February 2016.
The other major sub-sectors which recorded an expansion in March 2016 were the electrical and electronics Products (5.5%); petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (3.3%); and food, beverages and tobacco (6.7%).
"On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, manufacturing output edged up 1.4% in March 2016," it noted.
As for the mining sector output fell 2.5% in March 2016 as compared to the same month in 2015 due to the declined in crude oil index (3.6%) and natural gas index (1.2%).
On a seasonally adjusted terms, output for the mining sector decreased 2.2% as compared to February 2016.
The electricity sector output posted a strong growth of 7.7% in March 2016 on yearly basis.
On a seasonally adjusted terms, electricity sector output contracted 1.0% as compared to the previous month.
For the first quarter of 2016, Malaysia's IPI expanded by 3.3% as compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The expansion was due to the increase in the manufacturing index (4.3%) and electricity index (8.5%), while the mining index posted a decrease of 0.3% .