Industrial gross output increased in March

According to Central Statistic Office the output grow by 1.9% compared to March 2007, the index adjusted by working days rose by 4.3%.

 The volume of the production was higher by 6.9% in the first three months of 2008 than in the same period of the previous year. The volume of industrial production in
March – according to seasonally and by working-day adjusted indices
– was below the level of the previous month by 2.6%.

The industrial export sales grew by
9.8% in the first three months and by 3.4% in March compared to the
same period of the previous year. Two manufacturing subsections gave
almost two thirds of the export sales in March. In the third month of
the year the greatest exporter (representing more than one third of
the export of manufacturing), the manufacture of electrical and
optical equipment had a 7.7% export volume growth. After a more than
a decade-long growth a fall (1.8%) was observed in the export volume
of transport equipment − the other significant subsection, giving
more than one fourth of the export sales of manufacturing.

In January-March the industrial
domestic sales as a whole exceeded the level of the same month of the
previous year by 2.2% and grew by 0.9% in March. The energy section
contributed to the increase of domestic sales of industry, since the
purchase value of electricity, gas, steam and water resold
(redistributed) is also included in domestic sales of electricity,
gas, steam and water supply, causing a significant part of the
growth. In the first three months the domestic sales of manufacturing
declined by 2% and by 2.7% in March.

Facing the outstanding growth (13.7%)
in February the output of manufacturing increased by 1.5% in March
2008 compared to the same month of 2007. The volume of mining and
quarrying (having little weight) grew by 5.1%, while the output of
electricity, gas and water supply was above the level of the same
month of the previous year by 3.6%.