Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) Industrial production in Taiwan fell for a 16th consecutive month in September as its export-oriented economy continued to be hurt by weakness in global demand for electronic goods, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Monday.The industrial production index for September fell 6.72 percent from a year earlier to 89.60, while the manufacturing sector sub-index, which makes up more than 90 percent of total industrial production, fell 7.01 percent from a year earlier to 88.81, MOEA data showed.The 16 consecutive months of year-over-year decline in both the industrial index and the manufacturing sub-index represented the longest period of weakness in the indexes in Taiwan's history, according to the MOEA.In the first nine months of 2023, the industrial production index was down 15.48 percent from a year earlier to 84.24, and the sub-index for the manufacturing sector was down 16.07 percent at 83.57, the MOEA's data showed.Even though the industrial production index fell for a 16th stright month in September, the rate of decline appeared to be moderating compared to the previous month, said Huang Wei-jie (黃偉傑), deputy head of the MOEA's Department of Statistics.The index fell 10.53 percent year-over-year in August and 15.46 percent year-over-year in July, according to the MOEA.Huang said the slower rate of decline in September came as Taiwanese exporters benefited from international tech brands' launch of new products and the Halloween holiday in October.In September, the production index for the electronics component industry, the backbone of Taiwan's exports, was down for a 13th consecutive month, tumbling 9.38 percent from a year earlier as demand for tech gadgets from end-users remained fragile, the MOEA said.Within the category, semiconductor suppliers continued to be hurt by inventory adjustments that limited new orders placed by customers, but higher TV panel prices led to an increase in panel production, helping mitigate the category's fall, MOEA data showed.Bucking the downturn, the MOEA said, the production index for the computer and optoelectronics sectors rose 3.93 percent from a year earlier in September to a new high of 123.05.Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud services pushed up server production, but weakening demand in computers and peripherals capped the category's growth.Among old economy sectors, which were hurt by global economic weakness, the machinery industry's production index fell 14.44 percent from a year earlier in September as many electronics and semiconductor companies scaled back their investments in equipment.The base metal sector's production index fell only 0.97 percent in September as some steel makers shipped products ahead of schedule before their annual maintenance period and before China started its long Oct. 1 National Day holiday, the MOEA said.The production index of the chemical raw materials and fertilizer industry fell 0.43 percent from a year earlier in September due to the relatively low comparison base set in 2022.Huang said the moderating year-on-year declines in the production index for the two sectors also reflected rush orders or short-term orders received by vendors, and it was therefore not clear if the slowing declines were temporary blips or signs of a rebound.In the auto and auto parts industry, the production index rose 0.53 percent from a year earlier in September as car vendors introduced new models to the market and auto part suppliers received more orders at home and from abroad, the MOEA said.Huang said the sub-index for the manufacturing sector in October is expected to range between 87.29 and 91.29, a fall of 2.8-7 percent from a year earlier.He said the MOEA is hoping the sub-index will return to a growth trend in December, but cautioned that the global economy still faced uncertainty due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which could lead to higher crude oil prices and exacerbate inflation.(By Liu Chien-ling and Frances Huang)Enditem/ls (ICE TAIPEI)

Fonte notizia: Organi di Stampa - Focus Taiwan News Channel