The index of industrial production for the manufacturing sector in the third quarter of this year fell 0.6% on the same same period last year. The Census & Statistics Department said today the corresponding producer price index grew 2.6%.

The textiles (including knitting) industry recorded the largest fall in industrial output (-12.8%), followed by the apparel (except footwear) industry (-9.2%), and the electrical and electronic products, machinery, professional equipment and optical goods industry (-7.3%).

However, there was a year-on-year increase in industrial output in the food, beverages and tobacco (+12.3%), chemical, rubber, plastic and non-metallic mineral products (+6.2%), basic metals and fabricated metal products (+4.8%), and paper products and printing (+4.3%) industries.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the index of industrial production for the manufacturing sector as a whole fell 2.6% on the second quarter.

The third quarter also saw year-on-year increases of producer prices in the fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment) (+10%), plastic products (+5.2%), paper products and printing (+1.2%), and apparel (except footwear) (+0.1%) industries.

Producer prices also fell in the machinery, equipment, apparatus, parts and components (-8%), consumer electrical and electronic products (-4.5%), and the textiles (including knitting) (-0.2%) industries.

The producer price index for the manufacturing sector as a whole grew 0.2% in the third quarter, over the second.