TAIPEI - The production in Taiwan's manufacturing sector expanded for the sixth consecutive quarter, in the first quarter of the year, the island's economic authority said Monday.

The total production value was NT$3.31 trillion (about $111.3 billion), up 3.3 percent from a year earlier.

Among all industries in the sector, the electronic components industry posted the highest output in the first quarter, led by strong growth in integrated circuit.

The production value of the chemical raw material segment grew 6.83 percent from a year earlier, on the back of rising international crude oil prices.

The authority expects the sector's output to continue to grow in the second quarter.