Ukraine's industrial output down 5.3 pct in first half

Ukraine's industrial output dipped 5. 3 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2013, Ukraine's State Statistics Service said Wednesday, according to Xinhua.

In June alone, the country's industrial production was down 5.7 percent year-on-year, mainly because of contractions in the machine building industry and metallurgy, the data showed.

The total manufacturing output in June increased 1.6 percent from the level of May, driven by the expansion of the mining industry and pharmaceutical sector, it showed.

In 2012, Ukraine's industrial output fell 1.8 percent due to reduced demand for the country's exports in the global market.