Berlin - German industrial production came in better than forecast in March, data released Friday showed, amid signs that the recession in Europe's biggest economy is starting to plateau out.

While the Ministry for Economics and Technology said that German output was unchanged in March, this was better than the 1.5-per-cent contraction predicted by economists.

However, the ministry revised downwards the February drop of 2.9 per cent to an even steeper fall of 3.4 per cent.

In addition, industrial production dropped by a dramatic 20 per cent in March when compared to the same month in 2008. (dpa)