ID :
287165
Tue, 05/28/2013 - 14:00
Auther :

Thai auto production grows over 17% in April

BANGKOK, May 28 (TNA) - Thailand's automobile manufacturing grew by 17.53 per cent year-on-year in April 2013 due mainly to increased production last year to deliver cars to buyers under the first-car buyer scheme of the government. Somchai Harnhirun, Director-General of the Ministry of Industry's Office of Industrial Economics (OIE), told reporters on Tuesday that Thailand's production of air-conditioners also rose last month, by 2.87 per cent year-on-year, due to the warm weather and continual growth in the real estate sector in the country and elsewhere. Somchai acknowledged, however, that Thailand's manufacturing production index in April 2013 stood at 159.16 points, a drop by 3.8 per cent to its lowest level in 16 months, after January 2012 when the index stood at 159.86 amid the national recovery in the wake of a flooding crisis in late 2011. Somchai pointed out that the drop in the Thai manufacturing production index resulted from many holidays in April, the depreciation of the currencies of Thailand's trading partners and the appreciation of the Thai baht, which had affected the manufacturing and exports of hard disk drives, clothes, processed seafood and electronic parts. Besides, the index dropped last month because business operators delayed their production due to the disruption of gas supply from neighbouring Myanmar. According to the official, Thailand's imports increased by 8.6 per cent in the first four months of this year and by 8.9 per cent in April alone, including those of capital goods, raw materials and semi-finished goods. (TNA)

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