The Hindu Business Line : Infrastructure industries output up 8.4% in April-Jan

New Delhi March 14 The output of six core infrastructure industries grew 8.4 per cent in April-January this fiscal against 5.8 per cent in the same period previous year.

These industries are crude petroleum, petroleum refinery products, coal, steel, cement and electricity generation. They have a combined weight of 26.7 per cent in the index of industrial production (IIP).

Cement, finished steel and coal, however, saw a slowdown in production growth rates for the period under review.

Cement

Official data showed that cement production grew 9.5 per cent during April-January 2006-07 to 131.88 million tonnes (11.4 per cent to 120.40 mt during April-January 2005-06). Cement has weightage of 1.99 per cent in IIP.

In January 2007, cement production recorded a growth of 6.8 per cent to 14.50 mt against 15.4 per cent increase to 13.57 mt in the same month previous year.

Finished steel

On the other hand, finished steel production recorded a growth of 9.8 per cent at 40.09 mt against 11.1 per cent.

Finished steel, which has weight of 5.13 per cent in IIP, production registered a growth of 10.4 per cent in January against 14.3 per cent in the same month previous year.

Coal

Coal output grew 5.2 per cent during April-January 2007 to 337.26 mt against 320.71 mt. The production performance of 320.71 mt represented a 6.4 per cent increase over an output of 301.3 mt in April-January 2004-05.

The output of coal, which has weight of 3.22 per cent in IIP, recorded a growth of 10 per cent to 42.15 mt against 38.32 million tonnes in the same month previous year.

Crude

Crude production recorded a growth of 5.9 per cent to 28.39 mt against a negative growth of 5.8 per cent in a year ago period.

Crude production in April-January 2005-06 stood at 26.81 million tonnes.

In April-January 2006-07, power generation in the country registered growth of 7.6 per cent against 4.9 per cent in the year ago period.

Petroleum products

Petroleum refinery products production recorded the highest growth of 12.2 per cent among the core sector industries during the period under review.

This category had recorded a one per cent increase in output in the same period previous year.

Output of petroleum refinery products went up to 111.76 mt during April-January 2007 against 99.56 mt in the same period previous year.