Factory output disappoints: Aug IIP hits 5-month low of 0.4%

New Delhi: Industrial production growth slowed down to five-month low of 0.4 per cent in August mainly due contraction in manufacturing output and lower offtake of consumer goods.

The factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had also grown at a meagre rate of 0.4 per cent in August, 2013.

IIP for July was also revised downwards to 0.41 per cent from the provisional estimates of 0.5 per cent released last month, according to the data released by the Central Statistics Office today.

During the April-August period of 2014-15, IIP grew at 2.8 per cent, as against flat production in same period in the previous fiscal.

According to the IIP data, manufacturing – which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index – contracted by 1.4 per cent in August, compared to 0.2 per cent decline in outputa year ago. For April-August, the sector grew at 1.8 per cent, compared to 0.1 per cent contraction in the year-ago period.

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The consumer goods output contracted by 6.9 per cent in August against 0.9 per cent decline logged a year ago. For April-August, the segment showed contraction of 4.9 per cent, compared to a decline of 1.6 per cent in the same period of 2013-14.

The consumer durables segment declined by 15 per cent in August, as against a dip of 8.3 per cent a year ago. For April-August, it declined 12.9 per cent as against a dip of 11.2 per cent in the five month period of last fiscal.

Consumer non-durable goods output too declined by 0.9 per cent in August, compared to 5.4 per cent growth in same month last year. During April-August, the segment grew by 0.9 percent compared to 6.8 per cent growth in same period last fiscal.

Overall, 11 of the 22 industry groups in manufacturing showed positive growth in August.

PTI