ISLAMABAD: The country’s Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector has witnessed a growth of 5.5 per cent during July-December 2017-18 compared to the corresponding period of last year.
The Quantum Index Numbers (QIM) of LSM industries was recorded at 137.2 points during July-December 2017-18 against 129.99 points during the same period of last year, according to latest data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The highest growth of 8.14 per cent was witnessed in the indices monitored by Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) followed by Provincial Bureaus of Statistics (PBOS) with 5.78 per cent and the indices of Ministry of Industries and Production (MOIP) with 5.20 per cent.
On a month-on-month basis, the industrial output increased by 14.2 per cent in December 2017 compared to November 2017 while it decreased by 1.4 per cent compared to December 2016.
Meanwhile, the major sectors that showed growth during two months of current fiscal year compared to same period of the previous year, included textile (0.55 per cent), coke and petroleum products (8.14 per cent), pharmaceuticals (3.63 per cent), non-metallic mineral products (10.23 per cent), automobiles (21.86 per cent), iron and steel products (37.13 per cent), electronics (50.46 per cent), paper and board (8.84 per cent), engineering products (4.2 per cent), and rubber products (5.92 per cent).
On the other hand, the industries that witnessed negative growth include food, beverages and tobacco (0.27 per cent), chemicals (0.4 per cent), fertilisers (9.84 per cent), leather products (5.93 per cent), and wood products (19.22 per cent).
The provisional QIM is being computed on the basis of the latest production data of 112 items received from sources including OCAC, MOIP and PBOS.
OCAC provided data related to 11 items, while MOIP and PBOS provided data related to 36 and 65 items respectively.
