Kazakhstan January-March industrial output rose 2.9% on year

ASTANA. April 13. KAZINFORM Kazakhstan's industrial production grew 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2012 from a year earlier, the state statistics agency said.

Oil output dropped 1.1 percent to 20.1 million metric tons, the agency said in an e-mailed statement today. Production of copper advanced 1.3 percent to 82,900 tons, according to the report.

According to Bloomberg, rolled-steel output climbed 6 percent to 800,000 tons in the period, while ferroalloys rose 0.7 percent to 400,000 tons, the agency said.