Qatar’s industrial production up 6% in May as mining output grows
QATAR’S industrial production in May rose 6 percent from April mostly due to a jump in the mining output, which includes oil and gas production.
According to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA), the key Industrial Production Index stood at 105.8 points in May, up 1.7 percent from a year ago.
The mining component of the index, which has a relative weightage of 83.6 percent, showed an increase of 5.9 percent month-on-month and 1.7 percent year- on- year.
The m-o-m climb in mining output was driven by increase production of crude oil and natural gas, by 5.9 percent. However, “other mining and quarrying” group showed a month-on-month decline of 3.8 percent.
Qatar’s manufacturing output— which has a relative weightage of 15.2 percent in the index — rose in May, showing a 5.5 percent climb from April. PSA attributed this to rise in the manufacture of refined petroleum products by 7.2 percent, basic metals by 7 percent, chemicals and chemical products by 5.9 percent, beverages by 5.3 percent and food products by 0.4 percent. However, manufacturing output in three groups went down — printing and reproduction of recorded media by 8.8 percent, cement and other non-metallic mineral products by 5.3 percent and rubber and plastics products by 2.2 percent.
The manufacturing component of the IPI in May showed a 7.7-percent increase when compared with that in the same month last year.
The fall was caused mainly by heightened productions of cement and other nonmetallic mineral products by 55.3 percent, basic metals by 29.6 percent, refined petroleum products by 25.3 percent and rubber and plastics products by 16.9 percent.
However, manufacturing output went down in three groups year-on-year — beverages by 10.9 percent, food products by 7 percent and chemicals and chemical products by 1.2 percent. As for printing and reproduction of recorded media, the production was stopped in May 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Electricity output — which accounts for 0.7 percent of IPI — increased 36 percent in May month-onmonth and 9.4 percent yearon-year.
Similarly, water production (desalination), which carries a weightage of 0.5 percent, showed an increase of 7 percent month-onmonth and a decrease of 19.8 percent year-on-year.
According to the Planning and Statistics Authority the key Industrial Production Index stood at 105.8 points in May, up 1.7 percent from a year ago