Algeria: Algerian public sector industrial production drops

Production in public sector industries recorded only 1 % growth in the first quarter of this year, according to data published on Wednesday by the National Statistics Board (ONS).

• While manufacturing industries saw a 5.1% rise on the back of the growth recorded by steel, metallurgic, mechanical, electric and electronic industries, building materials achieved a 5% increase and textiles 6.7%.

  As regards the energy sector, mines and quarries, their levels of production increased by 6.4 % and 25.2% respectively over the same period.

  On the other hand, chemical industries experienced difficulties marked by a negative variation of production (-7.3%), as well as food-processing industries (-8.8 %), wood and pulp (-25.7%) and other industries (-36.5 %).

  This drop also affected hydrocarbon industries, which, since the second quarter of last year, has been recording reduction in production.

  Despite the problems the hydrocarbon sector was confronted with in 2008, the industrial production of the public sector as a whole recorded an increase of 1.9%.

  Out of the 1,200 public enterprises proposed for privatisation for the past three years, less than 500 have been taken over.