Drop In May 2001 IPI

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- The Industrial Production Index (IPI)for May 2001 dropped 3.7 percent to 181.3 from that of 188.2 reported inthe same month of 2000.

In a statement here Thursday, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM)said the decline in the IPI resulted from the 6.6 percent contraction inthe index of the manufacturing sector to 196.0 as compared with that of209.9 reported in May, 2000.

However, it said, the electricity and mining sectors expanded by 9.9percent (to 212.4 from that of 193.2) and 5.6 percent (to 124.2 from thatof 117.6 ) respectively.

"As against the index of 180.4 reported in the previous month. the IPI forthe current month advanced by 0.5 percent," DOSM said.

According to the department, the increase was backed by the growth in theelectricity and mining sectors, whereby their indices rose by 5.5 percent(April, 2001: 201.3) and by 1.1 percent (April, 2001: 122.8) respectively.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing index dropped by 0.2 percent as compared withthe index of 196.4 reported in April this year.

The lower index of the manufacturing sector for the month of May 2001 overthe same month of the preceeding year was attributed to the decline in theindices of 33 industries (51.6 percent) out of 64 industries covered bythe survey.

Among the industries which contributed to the contraction (based on theirstatistical weights) were wearing apparel except footwear, which was downby 23.5 percent (to 89.9 from that of 117.5); the manufacturing of officecomputing and accounting machinery which dropped by 22.4 percent (to 192.9from that 248.6); semiconductors and other electronic components, whichshrank by 21.6 percent (to 258.4 from that of 329.6); plastic products,not elsewhere classified, which slipped by 19.6 percent (to 129.6 fromthat of 160.7); primary iron and steel industries which fell by 7.9percent (to 171.2 from that of 185.8).

However, during the same period, there were 31 industries (48.4 percent)which recorded a positive growth, DOSM said.

Among the industries which recorded a significant positive change (basedon their weights) were palm oil, which soared by 26.4 percent (to 227.1from 179.7); sawmills, which jumped by 24.6 percent (to 77.5 from 62.2);the manufacture of motor vehicle parts and accessories, which notched upby 23.2 percent (to 274.6 from 222.8); other fabricated metal products,not elsewhere classified, which expanded by 214.4 percent (to 251.4 from211.8); hydraulic cement, which widened by 17.1 percent (to 152.0 from129.8); other basic industrial chemicals except fertilizer products, whichmoved up by 16.3 percent (to 236.6 from 203.5); and cables and wireproducts, which increased by 13.6 percent (to 192.7 from 169.6).

In the electricity sector, an increase of 9.9 percent in the index for Maythis year was the result of a higher generation of electricity to 6,032million-kilowatt hours from that of 5,472 million kilowatt hours in Maylast year.

In the mining sector, an advancement of 5.6 percent in the index for May2001 was solely due to the expansion of 27.2 percent in the index ofnatural gas to 211.1 from that of 165.9 reported in the same month of2000.

The indices for tin and crude oil contracted by 23.6 percent (to 50.2 fromthat of 65.7) and 1.3 percent (to 107.2 from that of 108.6) respectively.

On the whole, the IPI from January to May, 2001 was 1.3 percent higher toreach 181.9 as against that of 179.6 registered for the same period lastyear.

The expansion was in tandem with an increase in the indices of allsectors.

The index of the electricity sector moved up 6.9 percent to 197.6 from184.8, the mining index edged up 3.7 percent to 124.6 from 120.1 and themanufacturing index rose marginally by 0.3 percent to 198.3 from 197.8.

The 0.3 percent growth in the index of the manufacturing sector for theperiod of January-May 2001/2000 was backed by the positive performance of14 major groups out of 23 major groups covered by the survey.

Among the major groups which showed substantial percentage increasesduring the period were: footwear except vulcanised or moulded rubber orplastic footwear, which widened by 23.1 percent (to 83.8 from that of68.1); crude oil refineries, which leaped by 22.4 percent (to 196.2 fromthat of 160.3); transport equipment, which advanced by 18.2 percent (to221.8 from that of 187.6); non-metallic mineral products, which moved upby 15.3 percent (to 169.2 from that of 146.7); fabricated metal productsexcept machinery and equipment, which rose by 11.7 percent (to 197.6 fromthat of 176.9); food manufacturing which increased by 9.6 percent (to181.4 from that of 165.5); and wood, wood and cork products exceptfurniture, which edged up by 9.4 percent (to 108.4 from that of 99.1).

During the first five months this year, the index of the electricitysector went up by 6.9 percent due to the higher generation of electricityto 28,067 million-kilowatts hours as compared with that of 26,341million-kilowatt hours generated for the first five months of last year.

In the meantime, the expansion of the natural gas index by 19.1 percent to213.4 for the priod of January-May, 2001, from that of 179.2 in thecorresponding period of 2000, had contributed to the positive change inthe index of the mining sector (+3.7 percent).

However, the indices for tin and crude oil contracted by 20.8 percent (to51.9 from that of 65.5) and 1.4 percent (to 107.3 from that of 108.8)respectively, DOSM said.-- BERNAMA