Industrial production index falls

By Alok Mukherjee

NEW DELHI, NOV. 12. With the September 2001 index for industrial production (IIP) growing by just 1.6 per cent, the overall IIP for the first half of the current fiscal year (April-September) registered a growth of just 2.3 per cent. The IIP for September last year had seen a healthy growth of 5.9 per cent and overall industrial growth was at 5.7 per cent during April-September 2000.

Data released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) shows that the growth in the mining sector was 2.7 per cent in September this year (against 5.4 per cent in the same month of last year), manufacturing was up 1.1 per cent (against 6.4 per cent) and electricity generation was up 4.4 per cent (against 2.2). The corresponding figures for April-September 2001 saw the mining sector down by 0.2 per cent (against a positive growth of 3.8 per cent in the same period of last year), manufacturing up by 2.4 per cent (against 6.2) and electricity generation was up 3.0 per cent (against 3.5). The overall index, therefore was at 2.3 per cent (against 5.7 per cent).

Use-based statistics released by CSO reveals that basic goods production was up 3.8 per cent in September this year (against 4.2 per cent in September last year), capital goods production was down 11.6 per cent (against a positive growth of 3.6 per cent), intermediate goods were up 2.2 per cent (against 4.4) and consumer goods up by 2.6 per cent (against 10.6 per cent). In this segment, consumer durables were up 18.8 per cent (against 14.2) and consumer non-durables were down 3.4 per cent (against a positive growth of 9.3 per cent).

Corresponding data for April-September 2001 show that basic goods production was up 2.0 per cent (against 4.6 per cent in April- September 2000), capital goods were down 8.6 per cent (against a positive growth of 4.2 per cent), intermediate goods were up 3.1 per cent (against 5.2) and consumer goods by 5.5 per cent (against 8.0). In this segment, consumer durables were up 11.9 per cent (against 19.7) and consumer non-durables by 3.1 per cent (against 4.3).

In the two-digit industry groups, nine of 17 segments have shown positive growth during September this year. Leather and its products and fur products have shown the highest growth of 35.3 per cent followed by 9.6 per cent in beverages, tobacco and related products and 6.3 per cent in rubber, plastic, petroleum and coal products. On the other hand, wool, silk and man-made fibre textiles have shown a decline of 11.3 per cent, followed by negative growth of 10.9 in textile products (including wearing apparel) and a negative 8.9 per cent in jute and other vegetable fibre textiles (except cotton).

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