KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s producer price index (PPI) for local production, which measures the costs of goods at the factory gate, continued to register double-digit growth in April 2022 at 11%, says the Statistics Department.

       It was, however, slightly lower compared with the 11.6% year-on-year (y-o-y) growth recorded in March, it said.

       In a statement yesterday, chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth in April was driven mainly by the mining index, which rose 18.4% y-o-y.

       The index of agriculture, forestry and fishing registered an increase of 18% (March 2022: 24.9%), mainly led by an increase in indices of growing of perennial crops (23.8%) and fishing (7.0%).

       Meanwhile, the manufacturing index rose 9.8% (March 2022: 8.9%).

       Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin (pic) said the growth in April was driven mainly by the mining index, which rose 18.4% y-o-y.

       “The growth was supported by an increase in indices of subsectors such as the manufacture of refined petroleum products (23.4%), manufacture of vegetable and animal oils and fats (23.4%), and manufacture of basic chemicals, fertilisers and nitrogen compounds, plastics and synthetic rubber in primary forms (13.9%),” Mohd Uzir said.

       The water supply index and electricity and gas supply index increased by 1.2% and 0.6%, respectively.

       On the month-on-month (m-o-m) comparison, Mohd Uzir said the PPI for local production in April 2022 increased moderately at 0.2% m-o-m compared to 2.4% m-o-m growth seen in March.

       “The moderate rise was supported by the manufacturing index that increased 1.4%, underpinned by an increase in indices of sub sectors namely the manufacture of vegetable and animal oils and fats (3.6%), manufacture of refined petroleum products (2.4%), and manufacture of electronic components and boards (1%),” he said. — Bernama