Producer’s Price Index up by 1.6 index points

The Producer’s Price Index (PPI) for all economic activities agriculture, manufacturing and electricity and water supply increased by 1.6 index points to 132.0 index points in December of 2017 as compared to November 2017.

PPI for agriculture, manufacturing and electricity and water supply are 176.5, 113.7 and 84.0 respectively. The annual growth rate recorded for the month of December, 2017 is 14.5 per cent. The growth rate recorded for agriculture” sector is 30 per cent, while manufacturing and electricity and water supply activities also reported positive growth rates of 3.4 and 0.4 per cent respectively.

Almost all the sub activities of the agriculture sector reported positive growth rates except production of egg activity. The sub activities which received higher prices in the month of December are growing of vegetables (65.2%), growing of fruits, nuts and beverage crops” (30.1%), growing of cereals” (10.7%), and production of fresh milk” (4.5%), while production of eggs activity reported a negative growth rate of 3.3% in December 2017 as compared to the same month in 2016.

The positive growth rate recorded in the manufacturing sector was mainly due to the activities of manufacturing of coke, refine petroleum products and nuclear fuel” (18.4%), manufacturing of food products and beverages”, (15.8%), manufacturing of wearing apparels (8.5%), manufacturing of basic metals”(6.9%), manufacturing of other transport equipments” (5.1%), manufacturing of textiles” (4.7%), manufacturing of rubber and plastics” (3.4%), manufacturing of electrical machinery and apparatus, (2.2%) and publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media”(1.9%) in the month of December 2017 compared to same month of 2016.