Higher prices, especially for special purpose machines such as underground rock cutters and earthmovers as well as machinery like electric motors, led Qatar to register a 0.69% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in machinery and equipment index (MEPI) in the first half of this year, according to official figures.

The MEPI, which is calculated semi-annually, had shown a 0.39% increase compared to the second half of 2014, the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics said.

Under the new indicator, office, accounting and computing machinery group carries the maximum weight of 41.45%; followed by transport equipment (28.34%), special purpose machines (22.78%) and machinery and electrical appliances (7.43%).

Special purpose machines saw its index expand 1.58% y-o-y owing to a 1.99% jump in the prices of underground rock cutters and tunnelling machinery; 1.58% in mining and quarrying machinery and 1.48% in excavators, bulldozers and such other equipments.

Against the second half of 2014, the index of special purpose machines grew 0.39% on the back of 1.89% rise in the price of underground rock cutters and tunnelling machinery; 0.39% in mining and quarrying machinery and 0.19% in excavators, bulldozers and such other equipments.

The machinery and electrical appliances group index soared 1.08% y-o-y in the first half of this year owing to a 1.08% increase in the prices of electric motors, generators and transformers. The index had reported a 1.78% expansion against July-December 2014 on a 1.78% rise in the prices of electric motors, generators and transformers.

The index of office, accounting and computing machinery was up 0.5% y-o-y in the first six months of this year due to a 2.64% surge in the prices of office and accounting machinery; 1.11% in other automatic data processing machines and storage units; 0.6% in computing machines and parts; and 0.3% in portable automatic data processing machines as laptops; even as there was a 2.67% fall in the prices of input or output units.

Against the July-December 2014 levels, the sectoral index rose 0.3% on a 0.6% rise in the prices of other automatic data processing machines and storage units; 0.3% in computing machines and parts and 0.2% in portable automatic data processing machines as laptops; whereas prices of input or output units shrank 0.97%.

The index of transport equipment was up 0.39% y-o-y in January-June 2015 on account of a 2.6% in the prices of other transport equipment and parts; 2.6% in motorcycles and other light transport; and 0.39% in motor vehicles and trailers.

Against the second half of 2014, the transport equipment index was up 0.1% owing to a 0.1% increase in the prices of motor vehicles and trailers and 0.59% each in other transport equipment and motorcycles and other light transport.