The latest numbers on the performance of Qatar’s industrial and manufacturing sectors show that there were no adverse impact of the economic blockade on the output and other economic activities across these sectors.
The General Producer Price Index (PPI) of Industrial Sector for August 2017 was estimated at 52.2 points, showing a month-on-month increase of 2.2 percent compared to the PPI of July 2017.
When compared on year-on-year basis, the PPI of August, 2017 has shown a double-digit growth of 10.4 percent against the PPI of August 2016, data released by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics reveal.
The index measures the average change in selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services over time. The PPI is calculated with the base year 2013. It covers goods relating to “Mining” (weight: 72.7 percent), “Manufacturing” (weight: 26.8 percent), and “Electricity & Water” (weight: 0.5 percent).
The PPI of Mining sector for August, 2017 showed an increase of 1.7 percent when compared with the its counterpart index for July 2017. The primary reason for rise in the index was attributed to increase in the prices of “Crude petroleum and natural gas” with the same percentage. When compared on year-on-year basis, the PPI of August 2017, when compared with its counterpart in the previous year, there has been a considerable increase of 10.1 percent.
In the Manufacturing sector index, an increase of 3.3 percent has been recorded in August, 2017, when compared with the previous month’s Manufacturing index during this year.
The surge in the index was due to increase in the prices of “Refined Petroleum products” by 5.5 percent, “Other chemical products and fibers” by 5.1 percent, “Dairy products” by 1.5 percent, “Basic chemicals” by 0.6 percent.
Within the manufacturing sector index, there were several items which witnessed decrease in prices of varying degrees ranging between 0.4 percent to 1.6 percent. Prices of “Beverages” decreased by 1.6 percent, “Juices” by 1.4 percent, “Paper and Paper Products”, “Cement and other Non-metallic products” by 0.9 percent for each, “Rubber and Plastics products” by 0.7 percent, “Grain mill and Other products” by 0.5 percent and “Basic Metals” by 0.4 percent.
When compared on yearly basis with the index of counterpart in the previous year (August 2016), “Manufacturing” PPI of August, 2017 showed a rise of 11.1 percent due to significant increase in the prices of some goods.
The major groups which explain this price increase are “Refined Petroleum Products” by 19.2 percent, “Other chemical products and fibers” by 16.7 percent, “Juices” by 6.1 percent, “Rubber and Plastics products” by 1.9 percent, “ Basic Metals “ “by 1.7 percent, “Grain mill and Other Products” by 0.8 percent and “Basic Chemicals” by 0.3 percent.
There were items within the group whose prices declined from a year ago, which include in “Cement and Other non-metallic products” by 3.7 percent, “Paper and Paper Products” by 3.6 percent and “ Beverages” by 1.4 percent.
The PPI of Electricity and Water group showed a decrease of 1.2 percent compared to July 2017, resulting from decrease in prices of “Water” by 1.9 percent and “Electricity” by 0.5 percent.
When compared on yearly basis with the PPI of August, 2017, to the PPI of August, 2016, the index has increased by 4.7 percent, due to sharp rise in prices of “Water” by 18.1 percent and fall in prices of “Electricity” by 6.2 percent .
