Córdoba leads the country's manufacturing recovery with a growth of 36.5%, while the industry continues to show signs of economic recovery in July.

The manufacturing industry in Colombia continues to show signs of recovery. In July, real production in the sector grew by 2% compared to the same month last year, according to DANE's Monthly Manufacturing Survey with Territorial Focus. This increase, although moderate, marks the best figure in the last 12 months, standing out in a context of economic recovery.

The sectors with the highest growth were the basic iron and steel industries, which rose by 41.5%; the manufacture of rubber products, which grew by 39.7%; and the production of other transport equipment, which increased by 30.4%.

In regional terms, 10 of the 14 departments represented in the survey showed progress. Córdoba led with a 36.5% growth in production, followed by Risaralda (10.1%) and Valle del Cauca (4.3%). In metropolitan areas, the Aburrá Valley was the one that contributed the most to the annual variation in production, with an increase of 1.7%.

Despite the cumulative fall of -2.9% so far this year, July was the month with the best recovery in production.

Industrial sales also grew by 0.7% in the same period, while employment, although showing a decrease of -0.9%, recorded its best performance in the last 12 months.

The acting Vice Minister of Business Development, Lorenzo Castillo Barvo, said that "these results are an example of the positive effects that the national government's economic reactivation program is generating, with a focus on reindustrialization," based on a sustainable economy and knowledge.

He also stressed that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism continues to implement projects to strengthen the business network and generate more opportunities for the sector's stakeholders.