Thailand’s industrial output declines for six straight month (Photo: pattayamail.com) Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand's industrial outputdeclined for the sixth straight month in March as weak global demand hamperedexports, the country’s Ministry of Industry has announced.
Accordingly, the country's manufacturing production index(MPI) dropped 4.56 % in March from a year earlier but climbed 5.47 %month-on-month.
The March figure came after a 2.38 % and 4.81%year-on-year fall in February and January, respectively. For the first quarterof the year, the index fell 3.94 % from one year earlier, the ministry said ina statement.
Despite sustained declines in hard disk drives,furniture and plastic pellet manufacturing, air conditioner production expanded7.09 % from a year earlier last month, the highest in eight years, due todemand from Southeast Asian countries, the industry ministry's Office ofIndustrial Economics Director-General Worawan Chitaroon told a press conference.
The ministry expects industrial output to improve inApril, driven by domestic demand on the back of the tourism recovery, whileexpansion of investment and the construction sector supports manufacturingproduction, Worawan said./.
