Malaysia's Industrial Production Index Up 4.6 Per Cent In May

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) rose 4.6 per cent in May 2017 from the same month of 2016, supported by strong growth in the manufacturing and electricity sectors. The manufacturing and electricity indices rose 7.3 per cent and 2.5 per cent during the month, said the Statistics Department in a statement Wednesday. On a month-on-month basis, the manufacturing sector output continued to record significant growth in May after expanding 6.7 per cent in April, with increases seen in major sub-sectors, namely electrical and electronics products (11.6 per cent), food, beverages and tobacco (12.9 per cent), and petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (3.1 per cent). The mining sector output declined by 2.3 per cent, following a 2.0 per cent contraction in April due to the lower crude oil index of 5.4 per cent, although natural gas index rose 1.5 per cent. Meanwhile, the electricity sector output improved by 2.5 per cent in May after a decline of 1.5 per cent in the previous month. -- BERNAMA