Mumbai: Six core sector industries led by buoyant performance by cement, coal and electricity sectors registered a 9.0 per cent (provisional) growth in production in August 2007, compared to a growth of 6.6 per cent in August 2006.

The six core sector industries have a combined weight of 26.7 per cent in the index of industrial production (IIP), which stood at 230.3 (provisional) in August 2007.

During April-August 2007-08, the six core sector industries registered a growth of 6.6 per cent (provisional) as against 8.3 per cent during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Cement sector (weight of 1.99 per cent in the IIP) led the performance chart for August, recording a robust growth of 16.2 per cent against a mere 2.9 per cent in the same month last year.

Coal and electricity, (weight of 3.22 per cent and 10.17 per cent respectively in the IIP) with 8.7 per cent growth each, were the other sectors which contributed to a better show by the core sector industries.

Coal production improved from 0.6 per cent while electricity moved from 4.1 per cent in August 2006.

However, production of crude petroleum declined to 6.4 per cent from 12 per cent and petroleum refinery products to 8.2 per cent from 12.1 per cent.

Steel output was down by a marginal one percentage point at 8.5 per cent. Finished (carbon) steel production (weight of 5.13 pr cent in the IIP) registered a growth of 8.5 per cent (provisional) in August 2007 compared to 9.5 per cent (estimated) in August 2006. Finished (carbon) steel production grew by 5.9 per cent (provisional) during April-August 2007-08 compared to an increase of 12.5 per cent during the same period of 2006-07.

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