Construction shrinks by 13% in December

The preliminary data of the National Statistics Institute (NSI) on production in the construction sector erased the positive signal given by the industry in November. At the end of 2010, construction decreased by 13%, compared to the previous month, according to NSI estimates. The year-on-year decline was 12.4%. In November 2010, for the first time since the end of 2008, construction gave a reason for optimism, increasing by 1% on an annual basis.

At the end of 2010, however, construction dropped by 12.3% and civil engineering by 2.1%, compared to the previous month. On an annual basis, the decrease was mainly determined by the negative growth in the construction of buildings where the decline was 19%, while a 0.1% increase was registered in civil engineering.

The index of industrial production also showed a slight decrease of 1%, compared to November 2010, according to NSI data. On an annual basis, however, the index rose by 5.2%. The recovery was felt in November, as production grew by 5.5% year-on-year, compared to 2.5% in October.

At the end of the year, mining output reported a considerable decrease of 7.1%, followed by manufacturing - 4.3%, while the production and distribution of electricity, heating energy and gas rose by 3.2%. A significant decline in the processing industry was registered in the manufacturing of chemical products - 21.2%, the production of metal products (except machines and equipment) - 20.7%, the manufacturing of articles from other non-metallic mineral sources - 10.9 % and the production of beverages - 8.2%. Growth was registered in the repair and installation of machines and equipment – 20.3% and the manufacturing of tobacco products - 7.4%.

According to estimates of investor.bg, exports in industrial production registered record-high growth of 60% on an annual basis in December. The biggest increase was in the pulp and paper industry, paperboard and related items, reaching 375%.

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