The index of industrial production for the manufacturing sector slipped 9.2% in the third quarter of 2003 from a year earlier, an improvement over the 12.5% decrease seen in Q2.

The corresponding producer price index remained virtually unchanged in the third quarter from a year earlier, following 0.9% fall in Q2.

Comparing Q3 with the same period a year earlier, the electrical and electronic products, machinery, professional equipment and optical goods industry had the largest fall in output (-21.1%), followed by the food, beverages and tobacco industry (-12.8%), the textiles (including knitting) industry (-12.5%), the paper products and printing industry (-9.3%), and the basic metals and fabricated metal products industry (-5.9%).

The output of the wearing apparel (except footwear) industry, and the chemical, rubber, plastic and non-metallic mineral products industry increased, though, by 17.8% and 4.9%, in Q3 over a year earlier.