The increasing manufacturing industries have curbed a bit of the region`s current economic and exports decline."Medan, North Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Large and small manufacturing industries in North Sumatra have grown by 6.43 percent in the second quarter of 2014, according to a local statistics office.
"The growth of the industries is driven by the development of wooden, cork, bamboo and rattan mats, food, paper and paper product industries," head of the office, Wien Kusdiatmono, said here on Saturday.
Manufacturing of wooden products rose by 9.87 percent, foods 9.68 percent and paper 3.72 percent.
"Manufacturing industries could grow even higher if growth in other industries does not drop," he said.
Those industries that reported declining growth included basic metal, rubber and rubber products, as well as the plastics and chemical product industries.
The secretary of the North Sumatra chapter of the Association of Indonesian Employers (Apindo), Laksamana Adyaksa, meanwhile said that the growing manufacturing industries have prevented the region from suffering from larger declines in the economy and exports.
"The increasing manufacturing industries have curbed a bit of the regions current economic and exports decline," he said.
He added that the industries of wood, foods and paper have increased because market demand at home and abroad for these products have remained stable, compared to other commodities, such as agricultural products.
The drop in industrial products could not be avoided, because of the global crisis that has caused demand to decline, he said.
(Reporting by Evalisa Siregar/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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