NEW DELHI (TIP): India‘s manufacturing sector output slipped to a seven-month low of 51.2 in September, as order flow turned sluggish amid “difficult economic climate”, a Nikkei survey said.

The Nikkei India Manufacturing PMI — a composite monthly indicator of manufacturing performance –stood at 51.2 in September, down from 52.3 in August.

A figure above 50 represents expansion while one below that level means contraction.

“Despite having been supported by sustained increases in new work, growth of Indian manufacturing production in September was weighed down by a difficult economic climate,” Pollyanna De Lima, economist at Markit and author of the report, said.

Nonetheless, the region’s growth prospects for the July-September quarter are encouraging. According to PMI data, the manufacturing sector looks set to provide a stronger contribution to GDP than it did in the April-June quarter, Lima added. According to the survey, PMI was weighed down by slower increases in new orders and output as growth of new work moderated to the weakest since June, reflecting challenging economic conditions.