KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 ― Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) rose to 5.5 per cent in October 2021, driven by the manufacturing index, which saw an increase of 8.0 per cent in the month under review, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) said.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth was supported by the electricity index, which climbed 4.1 per cent.
“Meanwhile, the mining index recorded a downturn of 3.5 per cent, and on month-on-month basis, the IPI increased by 4.8 per cent, driven by the manufacturing and electricity sectors,” he said in a statement.
The manufacturing sector output based on year-on-year comparison increased 8.0 per cent in October 2021 after recording a positive growth of 4.0 per cent in September 2021.
Mohd Uzir said the main subsectors contributed to the growth in the manufacturing sector in October 2021 were electrical and electronics products (13.6 per cent), food, beverages and tobacco (9.3 per cent), and petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (6.3 per cent).
Simultaneously, export-oriented and domestic-oriented industries recorded a growth of 8.6 per cent and 6.6 per cent, respectively.
The increase in export-oriented industries was mainly supported by the manufacture of computer, electronics and optical products, and the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products.
“The performance of the manufacturing sector was also in line with the encouraging growth of exports, while the growth for the domestic-oriented industry was attributed by the manufacture of food products and the manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment,” he added.
The expansion of domestic-oriented industries was also driven by the increase in the domestic economy and social activities after the inter-state movement was allowed on October 11, 2021, and most states moved into phase four of the National Recovery Plan.
The manufacturing sector for month-on-month basis increased 4.0 per cent compared to September 2021 where the increment was reflected by higher capacity utilisation compared to last month, especially in the transport equipment and other manufactures, electrical and electronics products, and textiles, wearing apparel, leather products and footwear subsectors.
The mining sector output shrank 3.5 per cent in October 2021 compared to the same period of the previous year. The deterioration was contributed by the fall of 10.2 per cent in the crude oil and condensate index.
Meanwhile, the natural gas index augmented by 2.0 per cent.
The mining index registered an increase of 7.1 per cent compared to the previous month, while the electricity sector output rose 4.1 per cent in October 2021 compared to the same month last year.
In terms of month-on-month comparison, the electricity index grew 7.7 per cent.
The IPI in the period of January to October 2021 recorded an expansion of 7.3 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.
The increment was influenced by the rise in all components; the manufacturing index (9.4 per cent), mining index (1.8 per cent) and electricity index (1.9 per cent). ― Bernama
