Industrial production index up 7.2 pct in July

Hanoi, July 29 (VNA) – The industrial production index rose 7.2 percent year-on-year in July, Vietnam's General Statistics Office has announced. During the past seven months, the manufacturing and processing sector grew 9.9 percent, electricity manufacturing and distribution rose 11.6 percent, water supply and wastewater treatment up 7 percent while the mining sector dropped 2.7 percent. Industrial products, including television, steel, automobiles and animal feed posted significant growth while apparel, coal, motorbikes, footwear, sugar and crude oil experienced slight increases or decreases. Hai Phong, Can Tho, Da Nang cites and Thai Nguyen, Quang Nam, Bac Ninh, Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces recorded expanded scale of industrial manufacturing. The consumption index of the processing and manufacturing sector increased 6 percent annually in the first half of this year. As of July 1, the inventory index rose 9.2 percent from the same period last year, lower than a 10.3 percent increase recorded in 2015. The inventory rate in January-June reached 70 percent, mostly motorised vehicles, electronics, computers and paper products. The number of workers in industrial firms went up 5.3 percent year-on-year as of July 1, especially in Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Quang Ngai./.