The growth of eight core sectors increased to 2.6 per cent in August after a slower 1.1 per cent in July. The 2.2 per cent cumulative growth in April to August, however, still remains less than the corresponding figure previous year, which was 5.6 per cent.<br/><br/>According to the data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry yesterday, fertiliser, crude oil, refinery products, electricity and cement sectors registered a growth of more than 5 per cent in August, while the three sectors that failed to hit the mark were steel, coal and natural gas.<br/><br/>The strongest growth came from the fertiliser sector, which grew 12.6 per cent compared to 8.6 per cent in July.<br/><br/>The steel sector was the only sector that saw a contraction. It declined 5.9 per cent in August. It had declined 2.5 per cent in July.