Medellin Industrial Production Drops 6.8% in First-Half 2017

The latest report from Colombia’s national Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) shows that industrial production in metropolitan Medellin dropped 10% year-on-year in second quarter (2Q) 2017 and has fallen 6.8% through first-half (1H) 2017 (see chart, above).
A sharp drop in textiles output (down 25%) and a 19.8% drop in “other manufactured goods” production during 2Q 2017 largely explains the over-all decline, according to DANE’s regional statistical report on Colombian manufacturing.
Sales of manufactured goods in metro Medellin also dropped 8.5% in the latest quarter, while employment in manufacturing also dipped 3.4% year-on-year, according to the agency.
On the bright side, 2Q 2017 output of basic chemicals in metro Medellin rose 3% while “other chemicals” output rose 3.7% year-on-year, according to DANE.
In other key Colombian regions, 2Q 2017 manufacturing output dropped 8.9% year-on-year in Bogota, fell 4.4% in the Santander regions, and slipped 1.7% in the Cali-Yumbo region. However, output climbed 1.4% year-on-year in the Barranquilla-Cartagena-Santa Marta region and rose by a fractional 0.1% in the coffee region, according to DANE.