According to preliminary figures for the January - December 2007 period, industrial production
increased by 8.5 per cent compared to the previous year, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) announces.

Production in the processing sector in December 2007 dropped by 2.7 per cent year-on-year. In the mining industry production increased by 8.5 per cent in the period under review while the production and distribution of electricity, gas and water went up by 30.1 per cent, BSI reported.

According to preliminary estimates, December 2007 production increased by 1.2 per cent as from November. Production in the processing industry dropped by 3.5 per cent and in mining, increased by 11.1 per cent. The production and distribution of electricity, gas and water went up by 15.9 per cent.

Preliminary data also show that in January - December 2007 revenues from sales in the industrial sector increased by 7.8 per cent as of the like period of the preceding year. In December 2007 sales increased by 1 per cent year-on-year.

Revenues from sales in the processing industry in December 2007 decreased by 2.3 per cent as from December 2006. The ones in mining went up by 7.7 per cent over the same period.

According to NSI, in December 2007 revenues from sales dropped by 0.9 per cent as from the previous month. Sales in the processing industry dropped by 3.4 per cent and the ones in mining grew by 14.3 per cent as from November 2007.