Taiwan's Industrial and Manufacturing Production Indexes See Growths Hit 2-Year Lows in September

Taipei, Oct. 26, 2011 (CENS)--Taiwan's industrial and manufacturing production indexes witnessed a slight annual growth of 1.62% and 1.99 percent, respectively, in September, the lowest figures of their kinds since September of 2009, according to the statistics released by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

C. S. Huang, director general of the Statistics Department of MOEA, attributed the slight rise of the two indexes to the lingering European debt crisis and the slow economic recovery in the United States.

Europe and the U.S. are Taiwan's two major export outlets, particularly for semiconductor and electronic products. So the gloomy business climate in the said two areas has undermined Taiwan's electronics exports, making outbound shipments of electronic parts and components in September edged up by 1.49% from a year earlier, much lower than the average double-digit growth in the first half of the year.

Nevertheless, exports of computers, electronic and optical products enjoyed a year-on-year19.1% rise in September, thanks to the strong demand for tablet PCs and smart phones. In the same month, the retail sector witnessed an annual revenue rise of 6.66%, a new high in five months; and food and beverage sector a corresponding rise of 10.09%, the highest in eight months. The uptrend of the two sectors resulted from the fact that the number of tourist arrivals from Japan and mainland China reaching over 120,000 each in September, not to mention 13,000 new weds seen in the month.

In prospect of the fourth quarter, Huang said, 15.2% of the polled manufacturers foresaw better business climate than the third quarter, yet 16.3% took the opposite view; and 68.5% believed that the climate would remain unchanged.