Harder for export industries

Overall revenues from manufacturing and mining and quarrying were NOK 82 billion in November/December 1998, an increase of 2.3 per cent from the same period in 1997. Manufacturing sales amounted to NOK 455 billion in 1998, against NOK 428 billion the year before. Export-oriented industries saw reduced revenues in November/December 1998 compared with the same period in 1997. The drop in the value of oil and gas sales was particularly sharp.

The pulp and paper, aluminium and basic chemicals industries all saw a decline in sales in November/December 1998, compared with the same period the year before. The drop was due in part to lower prices in international commodities markets in 1998 compared to the year before. The spot price of aluminium fell by nearly 30 per cent during the same period. Sales in the highly export-oriented fish and fish products industry increased by more than five per cent. Last year the value of pulp and paper sales increased by six per cent, while basic chemicals saw a 12 per cent increase. Sales increased NOK 1.1 and 2.2 billion respectively.

Domestic market

The completion of certain major offshore projects brought high sales to major players in the engineering industry. The machinery industry increased its revenues by all of 28 per cent in the last two months of 1998, compared with the corresponding period in 1997. The electrical and optical equipment industries saw a 15 per cent increase in sales. 1998 was a good year for these two industries, with sales increasing 16 and 13 per cent respectively. Revenues grew NOK 5 and 3.8 billion respectively. Sales also increased in the food, beverages and tobacco industry, with meat and meat products accounting for a particularly large increase. The printing industry and publishing also saw healthy sales figures in 1998.

New Statistics
Statistics on turnover. Oil and gas extraction, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity and gas supply, November/December 1998.
Statistics are published bimonthly in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information contact: Pal.Bakken@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 46.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 20, 1999