ISLAMABAD - The Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector has posted a minor growth of 0.68 per cent in the month of July 2011 over the corresponding period of last year, Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) reported on Thursday. According to the figures released by FBS, the Quantum Index Numbers (QIN) of LSM stood at 207.04 points in the period under review as compared to 205.64 points in the same period of the last year thus showing an increase of 0.68 per cent. The QIN shows industrial productivity of 100 items received from different sources, for example Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC), the Ministry of Industries and Production, and provincial bureaus of statistics. The OCAC supplied the data of 11 items, the Ministry of Industries and Production provided data of 35 items and provincial bureaus of statistics provided data of 54 items. The trade analysts and economic experts believed that it would be a challenge for the LSM sector to sustain positive growth in the coming month, as floods had hit the countrys economy. Meanwhile, gas loadshedding would also start in the coming month that would also affect the growth of this sector. The official data for petroleum products compiled by OCAC showed a negative growth of 3.25 per cent. The petroleum products including jet fuel oil (29.27 per cent), motor spirit (8.70 per cent), diesel oil, (19.17 per cent), furnace oil (8.23 percent), lubricating oil (5.77 per cent), and other petroleum products (16.35 percent) registered a negative growth in July 2011 against the same months of 2010. Meanwhile in OCAC, the following products showed positive growth rate; kerosene oil, 76.20 per cent, high speed diesel, 6.66 per cent, jute batching oil, 12.92 per cent, solvent naphtha (0.72 per cent) and LPG (4.90 per cent). Ministry of Industry index registered a negative growth of 0.85 per cent comprising 35 main industries in QIN of LSM. The industries showing positive growth include Phos. Fertilizers (14.97 percent), cement, (7.87 per cent), L.C.Vs (0.64 percent) motorcycles (14.39 per cent) cigarettes (7.11 per cent) cotton yarn (0.94 per cent), cotton cloth, (1.30 per cent) and sacking (9.17 percent) in the month of July over the corresponding month of last year. On the other hand, the industries showing negative growth are Hessian (16.26 per cent), paper and board (5.51 per cent), soda ash (12.60 per cent), caustic soda, (26.74 per cent), Nit. Fertilizers (5.53 per cent), glass plates and sheets (20.14 per cent, pig iron, (10.22 per cent), tractors (69.52 per cent), trucks, (41.45 per cent), buses (41.45 per cent) and jeeps and cars (34.69 per cent) during the month of July 2011 against July 2010.