The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) decreased by 1.6 per cent in December 2015 when compared with the previous month.
According to data produced by the Barbados Statistical Service, this was due to decreases in Mining and Quarrying by 32.3 per cent and Manufacturing by 2.6 per cent. Meanwhile, an increase was recorded for Electricity, Gas and Water by 3.4 per cent.
The IIP for December 2015 recorded an increase of 0.6 per cent when compared with the previous year. Increases were recorded in Mining and Quarrying by 0.6 per cent and Manufacturing by 1.0 per cent. Meanwhile, a decline was recorded for Electricity, Gas and Water by 0.1 per cent.
Output for the Mining and Quarrying Sector grew by 0.6 per cent at the end of December when compared with the previous year, due to an increase in the index for Mining by 22.9 per cent. A decline was recorded in Stone Quarrying by 7.6 per cent.
Production in the Electricity, Gas and Water Sector declined by 0.1 per cent when compared with the previous year, due to declines in the generation of Water by 10.8 per cent and Natural Gas by 5.6 per cent. However, an increase was recorded in the generation of Electricity by 2.7 per cent.
The year-on-year output for the Manufacturing Sector in December 2015 increased by 1.0 per cent due to increases recorded in the indices for Food by 1.8 per cent; Furniture by 0.6 per cent; Chemicals by 9.9 per cent; Non-Metallic Minerals by 20.6 per cent; and Other Manufacturing by 1.9 per cent.
Meanwhile, declines were recorded in the indices for Beverages and Tobacco by 18.1 per cent; Wearing Apparel by 39.5 per cent and Electronic Components by 41.4 per cent.