Higher beverages, refined petroleum and rubber production amid IPI decline in April: NPC

Qatar recorded increased output of beverages, refined petroleum products and rubber and plastics, even as the country's industrial production index (IPI) was on a decline in April 2024 compared to the previous month's levels, according to the official data.

The country's IPI declined 3.1% and 5.9% month-on-month and year-on-year respectively in the review period, according to the data released by the National Planning Council (NPC).

The NPC introduced IPI, a short-term quantitative index that measures the changes in the volume of production of a selected basket of industrial products over a given period, with respect to a base period 2013.

The mining and quarrying index, which has a relative weight of 82.46%, shrank 3.3% on a monthly basis on a 3.3% decline in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas and 5.7% in other mining and quarrying sectors.

On a yearly basis, the sector index was seen declining 6.1% on a 6.1% fall in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas and 5.5% in other mining and quarrying sectors in the review period.

The manufacturing index, with a relative weight of 15.85%, tanked 2.5% month-on-month in April 2024 owing to a 7.4% fall in the production of cement and other non-metallic mineral products, 6.4% in basic metals, 5.6% in printing and reproduction of recorded media, 3% in food products and 1.8% in chemicals and chemical products.

Nevertheless there was a 4.2% increase in the production of beverages, 1.2% in refined petroleum products and 0.3% in rubber and plastics products in the review period.

On a yearly basis, the manufacturing index declined 5% on account of a 22.5% contraction in the production of basic metals, 9.1% in printing and reproduction of recorded media, 4.2% in cement and other non-metallic mineral products, 2% in refined petroleum products, 1.6% in chemicals and chemical products and 0.3% in rubber and plastics products; even as there was a 1.2% jump in the production of beverages in April 2024.

Electricity, which has a 1.16% weight in the IPI basket, saw its index plummet 2.8% and 11.2% month-on-month and year-on-year respectively in April 2024.

In the case of water, which has a 0.53% weight, the index was seen declining 2.3% and 1.1% on monthly and annual basis respectively in the review period.