Remaining in the negative zone for the third month in a row, the country's industrial production contracted 0.6 per cent in December 2013, mainly due to sluggishness in the manufacturing sector. Industrial output for the April to December 2013 period has thus contracted 0.1 per cent. According to government data released today, manufacturing sector output declined 1.6 per cent in December. Overall consumer goods output dropped 5.3 per cent in December, with the consumer durables segment contracting 16.2 per cent during the month. Overall, 8 of the 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown de-growth in December.