Manufacturing sector clocks 20 pc growth in Apr-Dec '06

New Delhi, Feb 18 (UNI) Spurred by high growth rates of over 20 per cent in 65 segments, the country's manufacturing sector has clocked a growth of 13 per cent in the first six months of the current fiscal (April-December 2006), an industry chamber said.

The manufacturing competitiveness survey conducted by Ficci, covered 86 segments from basic, intermediate, capital goods and consumer goods both durables and non-durables including FMCG, food and beverage sectors.

The sectors surveyed encompass over 70 per cent of the manufacturing sector.

The sectors which have recorded excellent growth during the said period over the corresponding period last year are electrical equipment&machinery (25 per cent), electric motors-rotative (24 per cent), circuit breakers (29 per cent), switchgears (37 per cent), power transformer (22 per cent) and others.

Those which recorded high growth include auto components (15 per cent), automobiles (16 per cent), oil and gas equipment (16 per cent), energy meters (15 per cent), motor starters (17 per cent), pipes and tubes (14.5 per cent), colour television (10 per cent), electronic components (11 per cent), automobiles (17 per cent), motor cycles (19.2 per cent), two wheelers (16 per cent) etc.

Natural gas (-2.4 per cent), B&W TV (-20 per cent), transmission line towers (-3.6 per cent) and soda ash (-6.3 per cent) recorded a negative growth.

The survey was based on the feedback provided by 450 different sector-specific industry associations, and companies from the private and public sector.

Of the 86 manufacturing sectors surveyed 16 sectors belong to basic goods/core sectors, 18 to capital goods, 12 intermediate goods 29 consumers durables, and 11 consumer-non-durable sectors.

Of the 86 sectors, 27 sectors have achieved excellent growth of more then 20 per cent, 38 sectors clocked 10 per cent to 20 per cent, 17 sectors achieved moderate growth (2-9 per cent) and four sectors registered a negative rate of growth.

UNI