The manufacturing and extractive industries index, excluding crude oil and petroleum products, scored 130.46 during April 2018, compared to 142.82 during March 2018, marking a decrease of 8.65%, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The index for the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations reached 150.03 in April 2018, compared with125.54 in March 2018, marking an increase of 19.5%, due to an increased demand for chemical and pharmaceutical products.
The index for the manufacture of computer, electronic, and optical products reached 192.29, during the month of April 2018, compared to 154.83 in March 2018, marking an increase of 24.2%, due to increased export contracts.
Moreover, the manufacturing of other mining and quarrying scored 79.21, in April 2018, compared to141.21 in March 2018—a decrease of 43.9%, due to a lower demand for export salt abroad.
Finally, the manufacturing of chemicals and chemical products reached 147.07 in April 2018, compared to 207.3 in March 2018—a decrease of 29.1%. The CAPMAS stated that the decrease is caused by the low demand for chemical products and the presence of electricity failures in one of the important sources.
