In February, PPI for manufactured goods was down by 4.5 percent year-on-year; purchasing prices for raw material, fuels and power dropped 7.1 percent.

PPI for means of production decreased 5.7 percent over last February. Of the total, PPIs for mining and quarrying industry, raw materials industry, and machining industry correspondingly declined 17.4, 8.4 and 3.0 percent. PPI for means of consumer goods slightly went down 0.4 percent year-on-year. Of which, PPIs for foodstuff and durable consumer goods dropped 0.7 and 1.9 percent respectively, while that of clothing and ordinary article for daily use was up by 0.6 percent.

In terms of different categories:

PPI for crude oil decreased 56.3 percent, year-on-year. PPIs for oil products, such as gasoline, diesel and kerosene decreased 0.5, 11.4 and 26.4 percent respectively.

PPI for cis-butadiene rubber, polystyrene, and polyester filament yarns was respectively declined 33.6, 30.0 and 25.3 percent.

PPI for mining and washing of coal industry was up by 18.8 percent from last February. Of which, PPI for crude coal increased 18.7 percent.

PPI for smelting and pressing of ferrous metals went down 8.9 percent from the same month last year. Of which, PPIs for ordinary small, medium, and large rolled-steels, heavy steel plate, and wire rod correspondingly decreased 5.1, 11.1, 6.3, 16.4 and 14.7 percent, year-on-year.

PPI for smelting and pressing of nonferrous metals was down by 25.0 percent, year-on-year. Of the total, aluminum, copper, lead and zinc came down 20.5, 43.6, 38.1 and 40.6 percent respectively.

In addition, wherein the purchasing price for raw materials, fuels and power products, the price for ferrous metal materials, fuel and power, chemical materials, and nonferrous metal materials decreased 29.7, 10.9, 8.3 and 6.3 percent respectively, year-on-year.

From January to February, PPI dropped 3.9 percent year-on-year, the purchasing price for raw materials, fuels and power decreased 6.2 percent.

(National Bureau of Statistics March 12, 2009)