Brussels - Synthetic rubber makers missed out on a positive trend that saw a 1.6% year-on-year rise in output from the EU chemicals sector in the first two months of the year, Cefic figures show.
Most big chemicals sectors posted positive output growth during Jan-Feb 2017 compared to the same period of last year, said a recent report by the European chemical industry body.
However, Cefic noted a decline in some sub-sectors, including a 3.5% decline in synthetic rubber production and a 1.5% drop in petrochemicals.
EU chemicals sales grew 4.0% in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of the same year, according to the report.
The latest data, it added, shows that sales in January were 4.8% higher year-on-year, driven mainly by positive changes in producer prices.
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