The industrial output from January to May 2009 shrank by 25%, year on year. The companies manufactured products worth 8.688 billion lei in current prices, Info-Prim Neo has learnt from the Statistics National Bureau (BNS). In May 2009, compared to 2008, this index was 76.7%. The Bureau explains the drop in the industrial output by the falls in the mining and processing industries and the energy sector. The companies from area explain the drop in their output by: problems with sales markets, especially the decrease of the number of commissions from foreign and Moldovan companies; shortage of raw material and money. However, several sectors recorded growth: the poultry meat industry, the manufacturers of food for animals, the detergents industry, the machines and electrical appliances industry, the steel works, the manufacturers of knitted and crocheted products, electricity collectors, carriers and distributors, etc.