MUMBAI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, or PMI, fell to a six-month low at 52.6 in March from 54.3 in February, IHS Markit, a London-based global information provider that compiles the index, said on Tuesday.
There was a widespread slowdown in growth where softer increases were registered for new orders, production, input buying and employment, the release said.
"Manufacturing sector expansion in India took a step back in March, with metrics for factory orders, production, exports, input buying and employment all moving lower. Still, growth was sustained on all fronts," said Pollyanna De Lima, the principal economist at IHS Markit.
However, firms indicated that strong underlying demand, successful advertising and the receipt of bulk orders underpinned sales growth.
"Although global headwinds and a general slowdown in trade present some concerns for the future health of Indian manufacturers' order books, so far companies have been able to weather the storm and secure healthy inflows of new work from abroad," De Lima said.
"We expect stock-building efforts in the coming months and robust business sentiment to support output growth and further lift payroll numbers," she added.
