Romania’s industry grows by 3.3% in September

The industry, a sector that represents almost a quarter of the Romanian economy, recorded a growth of 3.3% in September compared to the same month in 2015, mainly due to the advance of production in the key manufacturing sector. This offset the decline in the mining sector, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). In August, the industry recorded a growth of 5.3% compared to the eighth month of the last year. The mining and quarrying industry recorded a sharp decline in September, namely 14% whereas the production and supply of electricity, thermal energy, has dropped by 4.2%. The statistics reflect the problems that the mining sector in Romania currently has, as well as the problems of the utility companies. The mining sector is largely controlled by the state, and is undermined by the lack of reforms and weak competitiveness. Meanwhile, the manufacturing industry went up by 4.5%. In the first nine months, the industrial production went up by 1.4%, in gross terms, driven by the manufacturing industry, which increased by 2.3%. editor@romania-insider.com