The growth in fertiliser industry during July-February, a major contributors to large-scale manufacturing, has declined by 2.98 percent from 2006-07 against corresponding period of last year.
The production data of selected large-scale manufacturing units compiled by the Ministry of Industries was incomplete, as it did not provide cumulative growth figures.
The data showed that fertiliser production was 1, 26,117 metric tonnes less in July-February 2007 compared to the same period of last year. The fertiliser production, which in July-February 2006 was 4,229,885 metric tonnes declined to 4,103,768 metric tonnes in eight months of 2007.
Urea registered 0.17 percent decline against the same period of corresponding period as the production weakened from 3,243,201 metric tonnes to 3,220,083 metric tonnes in July-February 2007.
Similarly, Amm Nitrate registered 5.40 percent declined with production shrinking to 203,711 metric tonnes from 215,336 tonnes in July-February 2007 and Nitro Phosphate registered 20.22 percent decreased as its production too descended to 197,082 metric tonnes from 247,017 metric tonnes.
Other fertilisers such as S. Phosphate and Di Amm phosphate also registered negative growth with 12.79 and 44.23 percent decline respectively during July-February 2007, against the corresponding period of last year.
The Papers sector also registered negative growth 6.30 percent in July-February 2007 while paper and board sector declined 0.68 percent and in steel sector galvanised iron products showed 17.02 percent decline and Cr Coils 3.32 percent.
The data showed that the sugar sector registered 9.42 percent growth in eight months of this fiscal as compared to last, cigarette 2.41 percent, cotton yarn 8.79 percent, Jute goods 11.89 percent, Car/jeeps 4.85 percent while the H/C.R sheets/strips and coil showed 14.87 percent growth besides Billet and Ingots 18.21 percent.