PARIS, May 11 (Reuters) - French industrial output fell more sharply than expected in March as big drops in production of electronic goods, energy and food outweighed a rise in the transport equipment sector, data on Monday showed.
National statistics office INSEE said industrial output fell 1.4 percent in March, much deeper than the 0.5 percent decline forecast by economists polled by Reuters.
Output in the first three months of the year was down 15.5 percent compared with the same period a year earlier and was down 6.9 percent compared with the preceding three month period, INSEE said.
Following some more positive signs in the economy, the figures underlined the extent to which the global economic crisis has hit the euro zone's second biggest economy, reflecting a wave of plant closures and production stoppages over recent months.
Manufacturing industry suffered a 1.1 percent monthly decline, while food and agriculture was down 0.6 percent, coke making and refinery activities were down 2.1 percent, electronic equipment production was down 1.7 percent and mining and waste treatment operations were down 2.9 percent.
The only positive note was a 1.3 percent rise in manufacture of transport equipment.
(For a full table of industry output data, please double click on [ID:nPAB004780] (Reporting by James Mackenzie, editing by Mike Peacock)