Growth in activity in the eight core sectors of the economy slowed to a three-month low of 3% in September, dragged down by contractions in the coal, crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products sectors, as well as a relatively sharp slowdown in the fertilisers sector, official data showed.

The data in the Index of Eight Core Industries released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows that the index’s performance in September 2025 was faster than its growth in September 2024. However, growth was the slowest since June this year.

The slowdown was driven by the four fuel-related sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products.

The coal sector contracted 1.19% in September 2025 as compared to a growth of 2.6% in September last year, and a 11.4% growth in August 2025.

See Full Page