Vietnam industrial production index down 0.78 pct in third quarter

Hanoi, September 25 (VNA) - The national index of industrial production fell 0.78 percent in the third quarter from the same period last year, causing a year-on-year decrease of 0.74 percent in the first nine months of this year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported on September 24. The situation is attributed to the reduction in the prices of minerals (1.41 percent) and processing-manufacturing products (0.37 percent), according to General Director of the Department of Price Statistics Vu Thi Thu Thuy. Six out of 10 processing-manufacturing product groups saw production index decreases in the quarter, including electronics (1.81 percent), metals (1.37 percent), chemicals (1.03 percent), processed foodstuff (1.01 percent), beverages (0.87 percent) and textiles (0.27 percent). The GSO said the drop in the prices of metal ore products and coal in the period contributed to the falling production index of mining products. However, the production indexes of electricity and power supply as well as clean water, waste water and waste-water treatment in the reviewed quarter increased 1.94 percent and 0.46 percent, respectively./.