SINGAPORE - Factory output in Singapore grew 4.6 per cent in April over a year ago, slowing from double-digit jumps in the two preceding months.

The rise in manufacturing production last month was led by a surge in biomedical manufacturing, which expanded 23.8 per cent over the previous year, the Economic Development Board (EDB) said on Monday.

Most other manufacturing segments also reported an increase in factory output in April from the year before, the EDB said.

Chemicals output climbed 8.9 per cent, precision engineering grew 4.2 per cent, transport engineering rose 3.5 per cent and general manufacturing increased 0.8 per cent.

But electronics production, a key segment, fell 8.8 per cent last month on lower output of semiconductors and data storage products.

This dragged down the sector: excluding biomedical manufacturing, overall factory output would have fallen 0.7 per cent, said the EDB.

Compared to March, manufacturing dipped 4.7 per cent in April and would have slid a steeper 7.3 per cent excluding the biomedical segment.