Qatar’s IPI jumps 1.8% m-o-m in August

Robust output expansion, especially in cement, printing, beverages and food products, as well as higher extraction of hydrocarbons, led Doha's industrial production index (IPI) jump 1.8% month-on-month in August, according to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).The country’s IPI however saw a 2% year-on-year shrinkage in August 2021. The PSA 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 83.6%, saw a 1.7% increase on a monthly basis owing to a 1.7% expansion in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas, and 8.9% in other mining and quarrying sectors.On a yearly basis, the index showed a 2.1% decline owing to a 2.1% decrease in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas; while there was a 14.8% growth in other mining and quarrying sectors.The manufacturing index, with a relative weight of 15.2%, was up 1.8% month-on-month in August 2021 on account of 10.2% surge in the production of cement and other non-metallic mineral products, 9.7% in printing and reproduction of recorded media, 8.4% in beverages, 4% in basic metals, 3.6% in food products, 2.6% in refined petroleum products and 0.6% in chemicals and chemical products; even as there was a 3% decline in the production of rubber and plastics products.On a yearly basis, the manufacturing index fell 1.1% in August this year owing to a 9.9% in the production of petroleum products, 8.3% in beverages, 3.7% in food products and 2.7% in chemicals and chemical products.Nevertheless, there was 26.1% expansion in the production of cement and other non-metallic mineral products, 12.1% in basic metals, 9.7% in printing and reproduction of recorded media and 3.2% in rubber and plastics products.Electricity, which has 0.7% weight in the IPI basket, saw its index zoom 2.1% and 1.8% month-on-month and year-on-year respectively this August.In the case of water, which has a 0.5% weight, there was a 1.6% and 22.3% decrease on a monthly and yearly basis respectively in August 2021.(Ends)