Industrial output dropped 3.4 percent in February from the previous month, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report released Mar. 28.

The production index for mines and factories, which is compared against an index of 100 for the 1990 base year, came to a seasonally adjusted 102.2, the report says. The figure represents a year-on-year rise of 3.4 percent.

The report says that production is expected to fall in March but rebound in April, noting that the overall trend for production is on the rise. The shipment index in the same month came to 104.4, posting a decrease of 4.0 percent from the previous month. The inventory index was down 0.7 percent to 106.2, the report says.