KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): Malaysia’s industrial production index (IPI) rose 3% year-on-year (y-o-y) in January 2018, driven by positive growth in all indices — manufacturing, mining and electricity.

The Statistics Department said in a statement today that the manufacturing sector output increased by 4.8%, while mining registered growth of 1.5% and electricity output increased by 4.3%.

“The major sub-sectors (in the manufacturing sector) which recorded increases in January 2018 were food, beverage and tobacco products (14.4%), petroleum products, chemicals, rubber and plastic (2.1%), and electrical and electronic equipment products (4%),” the department said.

The increase in the mining sector output is due to the increase in the index of crude oil and the index of the natural gas, the statement added.

In December 2017, the IPI grew 2.9% from a year earlier, according to the department.