Eight core sectors#39; growth slows down to 4.3% in March from 6% in February

Eight core sectors#39; growth slows down to 4.3% in March from 6% in February

For FY22 as a whole, the eight core sectors grew 10.4 percent. In FY21, their output had shrunk by 6.4 percent.





April 29, 2022 / 05:48 PM IST





India's eight core sectors grew by 4.3 percent in March, down from 6 percent in February, the commerce ministry said on April 29.

As per the latest data, only three of the eight core sectors exhibited faster rates of output growth in March as opposed to six in February. These three sectors were fertiliser, cement, and electricity.

While fertiliser output jumped by a huge 15.3 percent on a year-on-year basis in March, that of cement and electricity rose 8.8 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively.

In February, fertiliser output had contracted by 1.4 percent. Production of cement and electricity was up 5 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Among the laggards were coal and crude oil. Production of coal in March was down a marginal 0.1 percent compared to the corresponding period last year. However, crude oil output fell by a larger 3.4 percent on a year-on-year basis.

MARCH 2022FEBRUARY 2022FY22FY21Core sector growth4.3%6.0%10.4%-6.4%Coal-0.1%6.8%8.5%-1.9%Crude oil-3.4%-2.2%-2.6%-5.2%Natural gas7.6%12.5%19.2%-8.2%Refinery products6.2%8.8%8.9%-11.2%Fertilisers15.3%-1.4%0.7%1.7%Steel3.7%5.9%16.9%-8.7%Cement8.8%5.0%20.8%-10.8%Electricity4.9%4.5%7.8%-0.5%

For FY22 as a whole, the eight core sectors grew 10.4 percent. In FY21, their output had shrunk by 6.4 percent.

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