ULAN BATOR, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's industrial output rose 17.5 percent year on year in the first quarter of this year, according to data released by the country's National Statistics Office on Monday.
The industrial output amounted to 3.8 trillion Mongolian tugriks (about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of 2019, the statistical agency said.
The output of the main mining products, the key driver of industrial production growth, increased by 21.3 percent year on year, the agency said in a statement.
Raw coal production rose by 64.9 percent, and iron ore production rose 1.4 percent year on year in the first quarter.
Mining is the main economic sector of the landlocked Asian country. The sector made up 72 percent of the industrial output, 87 percent of total exports, 24 percent of the gross domestic product and 75 percent of foreign investment in 2018, according to the country's Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry.
