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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's industrial production index (IPI) increased at a slower pace of 1.7% in February compared with a Bloomberg survey of a 2.2% increase due to a decline in the mining output.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth was driven by the increase in the index of electricity (4.9%) and manufacturing (3.7%). The mining index recorded a decline of 5%.
The IPI also declined from the previous month in January, when the IPI expanded by 3.2% from a year ago.
In February, the manufacturing sector output grew by a slower pace of 3.7% after registering a growth of 4.2% in January.
Major sub-sectors which recorded an increase in February were food, beverages and tobacco products (6.3%), non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products (4.6%) and electrical and electronics products (3.1%).
As for the electricity sector index, it grew by 4.9% compared with a year ago.
However, the mining sector index fell by 5% from a year ago due to the decrease in the natural gas index (-5.6%) and crude oil index (-4.3%).
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