Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 1.2 per cent to $72.9 billion in May after declining 0.1 per cent in April.

The overall increase for the month came as sales of chemical products gained 4.8 per cent at $5.9 billion in May, boosted by higher sales of pesticide, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemical products in Alberta and pharmaceutical and medicine products in Ontario.

Motor vehicle sales rose 4.8 per cent to $4.9 billion in May after dropping 3.6 per cent in April as semiconductor chip supply continues to improve.

Meanwhile, sales of primary metals fell 6.9 per cent to $5.2 billion.

Statistics Canada says weakening demand led manufacturing activity around the world to contract, notably in China, resulted in lower sales in the non-ferrous metal (except aluminum) production and processing industry.

Overall sales in constant dollars rose 2.2 per cent in May, indicating a higher volume of goods sold.

The Canadian Press

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