Green shoots: October IIP soars to 8.2% on manufacturing rebound

A surge in manufacturing output in October pushed the country's industrial output to its highest levels in more than a year, a sharp revival from the trend in the previous months of the current fiscal, when the growth in the factory output index stayed close to, or below zero per cent.

The rebound in the October Index of Industrial Production (IIP) estimate, released on Wednesday, was attributed in part to a low base a year earlier. The surge in the October industrial output data that touched a 16-month high growth of 8.2 per cent, viewed in the context of a worrisome jump in retail inflation at 9.90 per cent in November, could queer the pitch for a rate cut by the RBI in its mid-quarterly review on December 18.

"I am very encouraged by the indications of the green shoots in economy in terms of production. IIP figures are very encouraging," finance minister P Chidambaram told reporters while commenting on the data. However, as to the impact of October growth on GDP for the fiscal, he said, "One swallow doesn't make a summer. There are signs of green shoots. Let us be happy about the moment. But let us see how we go forward in the next four months... Let's see what the next four months bring us. Investments are taking place, capacity is being created and consumption is happening in consumer durables and non-durables".

The IIP, an indicator of industrial activity in the country, which recorded a contraction of 0.7 per cent in September, surged to a higher-than-expected 8.2 per cent during the latest month, as against a 5 per cent contraction during the corresponding period a year ago.

The manufacturing sector, which has the maximum weight of over 75 per cent in the index, grew 9.6 per cent, while both the capital goods and intermediate goods sectors recorded a robust growth of 7.5 per cent and 9.4 per cent respectively, as against a contraction of 26.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent during the same period a year ago. Of the 22 industry groups, 17 in the manufacturing sector showed positive growth during the month.

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