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Published on August 13, 2007

The real sector is all of the economy except the financial and government sectors.

Commercial bank loans of Bt5.98 trillion at the end of June were up only 0.65 per cent from the first quarter and 2.84 per cent from a year ago.

Credits to the agricultural, fishery, manufacturing, and retail and wholesale industries shrank against both the previous quarter and the same quarter last year.

But consumer loans continued to do well, increasing by 3.36 per cent on quarter and 16 per cent on year.

Fishery loans decreased by 5.19 per cent to Bt15.3 billion from March to June and by 6.69 per cent from the previous June.

Farm loans slipped 1.05 per cent on quarter and 2.55 per cent on year to Bt88.23 billion.

First-half farm income jumped

26.2 per cent on year, thanks to a 6.9-per-cent increase in output and 18.1-per-cent rise in prices. Farm income rose 32.3 per cent for the whole of 2006.

Retail and wholesale debts were down 0.85 per cent on quarter and 0.78 per cent on year to Bt971.26 billion. Retail sales also softened by 2 per cent in the first quarter and by 1.6 and 5.2 per cent in April and May compared with the same periods last year.

Manufacturing loans slipped 0.38 per cent on quarter and 0.48 per cent on year to Bt1.56 trillion.

The manufacturing production index has been rising at a slower pace - 5.9 per cent and 5.8 per-cent in the first and second quarters, compared with 7.4 per cent for the whole of last year.

Real-estate credits of Bt446.88 billion were ahead of the previous quarter by 2.09 per cent but behind the previous June by 0.7 per cent.

Home loans, classified as consumer loans, expanded 3.08 per cent on quarter and 10.63 per cent on year to Bt682.45 billion.

Anoma Srisukkasem

The Nation