Photo used for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

India’s industrial production growth accelerated to 5.2% in November this year, mainly due to good show by manufacturing sector, according to official data released on Friday (January 10, 2025).

The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), witnessed a growth of 2.5% in November 2023.

India’s Index of Industrial Production increased by 5.2% in November 2024, an official statement said.

The data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed that the manufacturing sector’s output grew 5.8% in November 2024, up from 1.3% in the year-ago month.

Mining production rose 1.9%t and power output increased 4.4% in November 2024.

In the April-November period, the IIP grew 4.1%, down from 6.5% in the year-ago period.

A man works inside a workshop in an industrial area in Mumbai. File
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

India’s industrial output growth recovered to a seven-month high of 5.9% in May from about 5% in April, led by a double-digit uptick in electricity generation and consumer durables production, even as manufacturing growth remained underwhelming at 4.6% and half the use-based segments witnessed a deceleration in growth from April levels.

Consumer non-durables production recorded a minor 2.3% growth in May, compared with a 2.5% contraction in April. Their total output in the first two months of 2024-25 still remains 0.1% below the same period last year.

Growth in primary goods production accelerated to 7.3% from 7% in April, while that for consumer durables jumped to 12.3% in May from 10% a month earlier. Base effects from last year, when growth was much milder, aided both these segments’ positive trend.

Year-on-year, capital goods output grew 2.5% in May, from 2.7% in April, but production was 10.8% higher on a month-on-month basis. Intermediate goods grew 2.5% in May, from 3.2% in April, while infrastructure and construction goods growth eased marginally from 8% in April to 6.9% in May.

Coal output electricity generation jump

With the country in the grips of a heat wave in May, coal output rose 6.6% year-on-year and was 4.3% over April levels, while electricity generation jumped 13.7% compared with a 10.2% uptick a month earlier. May’s electricity generation levels were, in fact, the highest in at least 14 months, and 8.2% over April’s output.

Within manufacturing, which constitutes 77.6% of the Index of Industrial Production, six of 23 sectors reported contractions, the same number as in April. Food products (-5.5%), textiles (-0.7%), chemicals (-0.5%), rubber and plastic (-0.9%), and Other manufacturing (-8.6%), were among those sectors that recorded a downturn. On the other hand, five sectors clocked over 10% growth in May, including furniture (23.2%), computers and electronics (20.1%), other transport equipment (16.8%), and electrical equipment (14.7%).