Philippine factory production rebounded 4.2 percent in April from a year ago, following a 2-percent slump in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday.
The volume of production index (VoPI) saw a 7.3-percent increase in April 2024.
Data showed that the upturn in VoPI growth was primarily driven by an 18.3-percent annual increase in the manufacture of basic metals, which declined 43.7 percent in March.
The PSA said of the 21 other industry divisions, 11 showed annual increases in April, while 10 experienced annual decreases.
The VoPI for food products recorded a slower annual increase of 11.2 percent in April 2025, from 17.2 percent in March 2025. In April 2024, the VoPI for food products increased 7.2 percent.
The deceleration in food product manufacturing was due to a downturn in annual growth rates across seven of eight industry groups. This was led by a 1.3-percent annual decline in dairy product manufacturing, which had seen a 12.4 percent increase in the previous month, the PSA said.
It said the VoPI for vegetable and animal oils and fats registered a faster annual growth rate of 27.0 percent in April 2025, up from 25.0 percent in the previous month.
Meanwhile, the value of production index (VaPI) rose 4.3 percent annually in April 2025, after a 1.4-percent annual decline in March 2025. In April 2024, the VaPI for manufacturing increased 6.5 percent.
The value of net sales index (VaNSI) for the manufacturing sector showed a slower year-on-year increase of 4.6 percent in April 2025, compared to 8.2 percent in March 2025.
The deceleration in VaNSI growth was mainly due to a 5.2-percent annual decline in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products, which increased 2.1 percent in the previous month. This industry contributed 27.1 percent to the VaNSI’s downtrend.
Based on responding establishments, the average capacity utilization rate for the manufacturing sector in April 2025 was 76.6 percent, up from 76.2 percent in March. In April 2024, the average capacity utilization rate was 74.7 percent.
All industry divisions reported capacity utilization rates exceeding 60 percent during the month, the PZSA said.
