Factory output slipped to an 18-month low, contracting 0.8 per cent in August, mainly because of a decline in the output of the manufacturing and mining sectors, according to government data released on Wednesday.

The data showed that the previous low in industrial output growth was a contraction of 3.2 per cent in February 2021.

Factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had expanded 13 per cent in August 2021. IIP grew 2.2 per cent in July this year.

The manufacturing sector shrank 0.7 per cent in August compared with the 11.1 percent growth recorded in the year-ago period, according to the data released by the statistics ministry.

The power sector showed a growth of 1.4 per cent against a 16 per cent rise a year ago.

The mining sector witnessed a contraction of 3.9 percent in August 2022, whereas there was a growth of 23.3 percent in the year-ago period.

Capital goods output rose 5 per cent in August.