Core sector growth falls to 4.5 per cent in February

Core sector production in the country registered a growth of 4.5 per cent (provisional) in February 2010 against 9.5 per cent in January this year and over 6 per cent in the preceding two months.

During April-February 2009-10, the six core sector industries registered a combined growth of 5.3 per cent.

Growth of core sector production, however, was far lower at 2.9 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The index of the six core industries comprising crude oil, petroleum refinery, coal, electricity, cement and finished steel, having a combined weight of 26.7 per cent in the index of industrial production (IIP) with base 1993-94, stood at 252.4 (provisional) in February 2010.

Production of crude oil, which has a weight of 4.17 per cent in the IIP, registered a growth of 4 per cent (provisional) in February 2010 against a growth rate of (-) 6.2 per cent in February 2009. Crude production registered a growth of 0.3 per cent (provisional) during April-February 2009-10 compared with (-)1.7 per cent during the same period of 2008-09.

Petroleum refinery production (weight of 2.0 per cent in the IIP) registered a growth of 0.8 per cent (provisional) in February 2010 compared with a growth of 0.5 per cent in February 2009. Petroleum refinery production registered a growth of (-)0.4 per cent (provisional) during April-February 2009-10 compared with 3.0 per cent during the same period of 2008-09.