Egypt’s manufacturing index drops 8.65% in April

CAIRO – 2 July 2018: Egypt’s manufacturing and extractive industries’ index (without crude oil and petroleum products) declined 8.65 percent during April 2018, recording 130.46 points, compared to 142.82 points in March 2018, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).

The indices of manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations, and Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products recorded on a month-on-month basis an increase of 19.5 percent, and 24.2 percent, respectively.

The manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations index reached 150.03 points in April 2018, compared to 125.54 points in March 2018, according to CAPMAS.

The report attributed this increase to the increased demand for chemical and pharmaceutical products.

CAPMAS said that the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products index reached 192.29 points during the month of April 2018, compared to 154.83 points in March 2018, due to increased export contracts.

On the other hand, the indices of the manufacture of other mining and quarrying, and the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products decreased in April on a month-on-month basis by 43.9 percent and 29.1 percent, respectively.

The manufacture of other mining and quarrying recorded 79.21 points in April 2018, compared to 141.21 points in March 2018 as a result of lower demand for export salt abroad, CAPMAS said.

The manufacture of chemicals and chemical products hit 147.07 points in April, compared to 207.30 points in prior month, due to the low demand for chemical products and the presence of electricity failures in one of the important sources.

On April 19, CAPMAS announced that the manufacturing and extractive industries’ index (without crude oil and petroleum products) increased 0.8 percent in February 2018, recording 123.69 points, compared to 122.65 points in the same month of 2017.