Russia's industrial output in several key branches shew evident growth in 1999, said the RussianEconomy Ministry in a latest supping-up report on the country's industrial performance last year.

According to preliminary statistics, Russia's light-industry production surged 20 percent against 1998 with cotton output up 13.1 percent, footwear up 21.8 percent and Knitwear up 79.2 percent.

The country's food production increased by approximately ten percent from the earlier year and agricultural output remained at the 1998 level.

A total of 33.4 million square meters of housing were built, up8.5 percent compared with 1998.

Oil production went up 0.3 percent, coal production up 6.9 percent and gas output stood at the previous year's level.

Ferrous-metallurgy output was 14 percent higher than in 1998, and the production of rolled-metal and steel tubes rose 15.1 and 13.6 percent respectively.

Non-ferrous-metal production was ten percent more than in 1998,with 4.5-percent growth in primary aluminum, and 18-percent in refined copper and four-percent in nickel.

The chemical and petrochemicals industry witnessed a 21-percentgrowth against 1998, while machine building and metal processing output went up 15 percent, construction materials production, pulpand paper production each up 10 percent.

The data indicated the state's transport volume rose 3.4 percent to 1.61 million tons by all kinds of traffic in 1999. Passenger turnover registered 365 billion passengers per kilometer,much higher than the figure in 1998.

All these figures are preliminary ones and will be amended after the State Statistics Committee issues its final data, said the ministry.