As the mercury rose in June, so did the production of aerated water and soft drinks. Production in this segment rose 28.2 per cent in June year-on-year, even as overall industrial production contracted 2.2 per cent, a consecutive contraction in the sector.
Soft drinks are a part of the larger consumer non-durables category, which rose five per cent in June, against a 0.5 per cent fall a year earlier, showed official data released on Monday.
Even as Finance Minister P Chidambaram is set to increase customs duty on gold, the toll on gems and jewellery production is clear.
In this segment, output fell 32.6 per cent in June, compared to the year-ago period.
The cigarettes category faced the brunt of a higher excise duty, with production falling by a quarter in June year-on-year. Chidambaram had raised the excise duty on cigarettes 18 per cent in Budget 2013-14.