Manufacturing prices fall 2.1%

Annual manufacturing prices fell 2.1 per cent in March, new data from the Central Statistics Office said today.

The decline narrowed from an annual decrease of 2.6 per cent recorded in February, and 2.8 per cent in January.

Monthly factory gate prices fell by 0.5 per cent in March 2010, compared to a 1 per cent fall seen in the same month of 2009.

In the month, the price index for export sales fell 0.4 per cent, while the index for home sales continued to decline, falling 0.3 per cent. The price index for export sales also fell over the year, declining 2.5 per cent, while the home sales index fell 0.4 per cent.


Month on month, the most significant changes showed up in meat and meat products sector, which slipped 0.9 per cent. Other food products including bread and confectionery also showed a decline, falling 0.6 per cent, with pharmaceuticals and other chemical products showing a similar decline.

A fall of 0.5 per cent in office machinery was also recorded in the month, while dairy products showed a rise of 1.8 per cent.

COntributing to the annual decline was a fall in basic chemicals of 9.0 per cent, a 4.2 per cent decline in pharmaceuticals and other chemical products, and a 3.6 per fall in office machinery and computers.

Dairy products showed a rise of 7.6 per cent, while other food products gained 3 per cent.