Bangkok (dpa-AFX) – Thailand’s economy contracted in the third quarter, the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council said on Monday.
Gross domestic product fell 0.3 per cent sequentially, in contrast to an increase of 7.6 per cent in the second quarter. Nonetheless, this was less than the expected decline of 0.8 per cent.
In terms of production, the industrial sector dropped 2.0 per cent. By contrast, the service sector grew 0.2 per cent, lower than the previous quarter.
At the same time, the agriculture sector expanded 4.3 per cent, driven by crop yields, namely paddy, rubber and cassava. On a quarterly basis, GDP was down 1.1 per cent, reversing the 0.1-per-cent rise in the preceding period. Economists had forecast the economy to shrink 2.5 per cent.