BANGKOK, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's industrial output fell for the fifth consecutive month in February as global demand remained weak, data showed Wednesday.
The country's manufacturing production index (MPI) in February dropped 2.71 percent from a year earlier to 98.89, indicating a slowdown in the decline compared to the previous two months, according to the Ministry of Industry.
Despite continued shrinks in furniture, hard disk drives, and plastic pellet manufacturing last month, sugar production grew 23.46 percent year-on-year due to higher cane output, and car production expanded 6.64 percent year-on-year owing to improved semiconductor supplies, the ministry's Office of Industrial Economics director-general Worawan Chitaroon told a news conference.
In February, petroleum production rose 7.33 percent year-on-year as demand for jet fuel and gasoline surged amid tourism rebounds, Worawan said.
The ministry expects industrial output in March to be stable or slightly lower given the global slowdown.
However, improved domestic consumption, driven by a tourism resurgence, and lower production costs would benefit industrial production, the ministry said. ■