The volume of sales of manufactured goods fell for the fourth consecutive quarter in the three months to December 2008.
Official figures show seasonally adjusted volumes were down 5.4% in the December quarter, although higher prices meant sales overall were down only 0.1%.
The biggest drops in sales volumes were in meat and dairy products, the petroleum and industrial chemical manufacturing industry, the basic metal manufacturing industry and the transport equipment manufacturing industry.
Recent private sector surveys have shown weakness in manufacturing continued into January and February this year.
