Bulgaria’s industrial landscape faced a substantial setback in September, witnessing a sharp decline both on a monthly and yearly scale, according to data from the National Statistical Institute. The year-on-year contraction reached a staggering 11.5%, surpassing the 2.7% dip compared to August.
Breaking down the data, the production and distribution of electricity, heat and gas experienced a significant drop of 31.8%. The mining industry followed suit with a decline of 17.2%, while the processing industry recorded a decrease of 7.7%.
Within the processing industry, notable declines in various sectors were observed, such as computer and communication equipment (-34%), textiles and textile products (excluding clothing, -29.8%), furniture (-27%) and products from other non-metallic mineral raw materials (-24.2%).
However, there were areas that saw growth, including the production of basic metals, which increased by 9.9%, and the production of medicinal substances and products, which rose by 4.7%.
Meanwhile, the construction sector witnessed a 0.4% decline in production in September compared to the previous month, with a 1.9% decrease compared to the same period the previous year.
The annual downturn in construction output was driven by negative rates in both civil/engineering construction (-3.7%) and building construction (-0.4%). (Novinite/Business World Magazine)
