Industrial production grew at a five-month low of 2.1 percent in March even as both manufacturing activity and capital goods’ offtake improved during the month.

The factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had contracted by 0.5 percent in March 2014.

For 2014-15 fiscal, industrial production grew at 2.8 percent as against contraction of 0.1 percent in 2013-14, the data released by the Central Statistics Office showed on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the IIP for February has been revised downwards to 4.86 percent from the provisional estimate of 5 percent released last month.

The IIP had grown at 2.77 percent in January, 3.56 percent in December and 5.2 percent in November. The factory output contracted by 2.7 percent in October.

Manufacturing output, which constitutes over 75 percent of the index, grew by 2.2 percent in March against a contraction of 1.3 percent in the same month a year ago.

The production of capital goods, a barometer of demand, grew by 7.6 percent in March as against a contraction of 11.5 percent in same month of last year.

Mining sector grew by 0.9 percent in March 2015 against 0.5 percent expansion in the same month last year.

Overall, 13 out of 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector showed positive growth during the month of March.

For whole 2014-15, the manufacturing sector expanded by 2.3 percent, against a contraction of 0.8 percent in 2013-14.

Capital goods output grew by 6.2 percent in last fiscal as against a dip of 3.6 percent in 2013-14.

Mining output rose by 1.4 percent last fiscal against a contraction of 0.6 percent in 2013-14.

Power generation grew by 2 percent in March against 5.4 percent in the same month last year. During 2014-15, power generation grew at 8.4 percent compared to a growth of 6.1 percent in previous fiscal.

The overall consumer goods output contracted 0.7 percent in March compared to a dip of 2.2 percent in the same month last year.

The output was also contracted by 3.5 percent in the entire 2014-15 fiscal compared to a decline in production by 2.8 percent in the same month last year.

The consumer non-durable production grew by 1.9 percent in March compared to a growth of 5 percent in same month last year.

During 2014-15, the segment grew by 2.8 percent compared to a growth of 4.8 percent in previous fiscal.

Consumer durable goods output declined by 4.7 percent in March compared to a contraction of 11.8 percent in same month a year ago.

During 2014-15, the segment’s output dipped by 12.5 percent compared to a contraction of 12.3 percent in previous fiscal.

However the basic goods grew by 2.3 percent in March compared to 4.6 percent growth in same month last year.

During 2014-15 the output grew by 6.9 percent compared to 2.1 percent in previous fiscal.

The production of intermediate goods grew by 1.9 percent in March compared to a growth of 1.3 percent in same month a year ago.

During 2014-15, the output of these goods grew by 1.6 percent compared to a growth of 3.1 percent in 2013-14.