Provisional data show that the index of industrial production increased by 1.6 per cent over March 2010 and by 10.5 per cent over the corresponding month of 2009.
Monthly comparison
When comparing April 2010 with the previous month, the index of industrial production increased by 1.6 per cent to 102.8 points. While the production of intermediate goods rose by 14.7, the production of energy, capital and consumer goods declined by 5.5, 3.4 and 8.4 per cent respectively. The drop in consumer goods resulted from declines in the production of durable and non-durable goods, amounting to 0.1 and 9.0 per cent respectively.
Annual comparison
Year-on-year data revealed that industrial production rose by 10.5 per cent, from 93.0 points in April 2009. This rise was attributed to an increase in the production of intermediate and capital goods which rose by 40.5 and 4.4 per cent respectively. On the other hand, the production of energy and consumer goods declined by 2.5 and 9.0 per cent respectively. The drop in consumer goods was attributed to a 20.2 per cent fall in durable consumer goods and a 7.9 per cent decline in the production of non-durable goods.