Soviets say rise in output eases despite some gains

The Soviet Union announced economic targets had been exceeded so far this year in several areas including oil production, but indicated industrial growth was down overall. An official report issued by the Central Statistical Board and published in the government newspaper Izvestia said industrial growth was up 3.1 percent the first three months of 1980, well short of the 4.1 percent annual growth target.

In the energy sector, the statistics showed that 150 million metric tons of oil was produced from January to March this year, a 1 percent increase. But this falls short of a quarter of the overall 1981 oil production target.

Successful economic areas listed by Izvestia include production of instruments, computer technology, cars, tractors, cement, and mineral fe rtilizer.