Election campaigns are expected to stimulate the economy briefly amid global economic uncertainties that are blamed for causing the Manufacturing Production Index (MPI) to dip by 4.56% year-on-year in March to 104.6 points, says the Office of Industrial Economics (OIE).
International trade remained sluggish in March as high inflation and interest rates as well as banking concerns in the US and Europe weighed on Thailand's trading partners, said OIE director-general Warawan Chitaroon.
"Prolonged low production in the hard disk drive, plastic bead, steel and iron, garment and textile and medical glove industries decreased the March MPI," she said.
