Egypt's industrial production (without crude oil and petroleum products) increased 6.9 percent during the fourth quarter of 2017, recording 155.3 billion Egyptian pounds ($8.66 billion), compared to 145.3 billion pounds during the third quarter of 2017, according to the state-owned statics agency CAPMAS. CAPMAS noted that iron and steel industries allocated 19.6 percent of the total amount of industrial production, followed by food products by 18.7 percent, and basic chemicals and fertilizers' industries (without crude oil and petroleum products) by 9.7 percent. The value of the iron and steel industry increased 22.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 on a quarter-on-quarter basis, recording 30.4 billion pounds in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to 24.8 billion pounds in the third quarter of 2017. CAPMAS attributed this hike to the end of the maintenance period of some production lines in some sources and the increase of the demand for products. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the value of food products amounted to 29 billion pounds in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to 27.6 billion pounds for the prior quarter, marking an increase of 5.4 percent. The value of food industries came as a result of the increase of oils production and the start of new production lines in flour mills, increase in the contracts and seasonal production of sugar cane companies and the availability of raw materials for the production of edible oil refining, according to CAPMAS. As per readymade garments, their value reached 3.3 billion pounds, compared to four billion pounds in the previous quarter, with a decrease of 16.7 percent, due to the decline in local selling and exports, besides the stoppage of some production lines. CAPMAS announced earlier that Egypt's industrial production (without crude oil and petroleum products) increased 7.2 percent in the third quarter of 2017, recording 145.3 billion pounds, compared to 135.5 billion pounds in the same quarter of 2016. Source: Egypt Today
