Eight core industries' output declines 5.2% in September

Output from eight core industries contracted drastically by 5.2 per cent in the month of September. These sectors contribute 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). These eight core sectors had expanded by 4.3 per cent in September 2018.

Production in seven out of eight sectors - coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, cement, steel and electricity - contracted in September. Only fertilisers reported an increase of 5.4 per cent in production.

"The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stood at 120.6 in September, 2019, which declined by 5.2 per cent as compared to the index of September, 2018. Its cumulative growth during April to September, 2019-20 was 1.3 per cent," the government said in a statement on Thursday.

Coal production declined by 20.5 per cent in September, 2019, whereas its cumulative index declined by 3.5 per cent during April to September. Meanwhile, crude oil reported a decline of 5.4 per cent in production, while its cumulative index declined by 6.0 per cent during April to September period.

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Natural gas production reported a decline of 4.9 per cent, and its cumulative index declined by 2.0 per cent in this fiscal till September. On the other hand, petroleum refinery production declined by 6.7 per cent in September, while its cumulative index declined by 2.0 per cent during April to September.

Steel production declined by 0.3 per cent during the month under review. Its cumulative index increased by 8.5 per cent during April to September, though. Cement production posted a decline of 2.1 per cent last month. Its cumulative index also increased by 0.7 per cent during April to September. Electricity generation declined by 3.7 per cent in September. Its cumulative index increased by 3.6 per cent during April to September, 2019-20 over the corresponding period of previous year.

The only sector to grow in September, fertiliser industry, increased by 5.4 per cent. Its cumulative index increased by 1.1 per cent during April to September, government data showed.

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