Statistics published by the Ministry of Industry show that the number of new industrial firms established up to May 2000 was 168, compared with 222 firms created in the same period of 1999. The combined figure for capital invested in the first five months of the year in these new firms was more than $36m, 19% lower on the year-earlier period, indicating a certain amount of gloom among
manufacturers as regards the current economic climate. The new companies registered in the first 5 months of 2000 were distributed among various economic sectors (cf tab)
tab New registered Industrial Firms
