Hefty price rise for food industry
In August, factory gate prices in the Dutch manufacturing industry were 2.6 percent up on the same month in 2007. The price increase was smaller than in the preceding month, just as in July. Petroleum processing and refinery products were considerably cheaper than in August 2006. On the other hand, both products of the wood industry and the food industry cost far more.
Selling prices of the food industry were 11 percent higher than twelve months previously. Prices of oils, dairy products and vegetable and fruit preserves in particular increased. At the end of 2006, the price rise in this sector of industry was about 2 percent, but it has been growing continuously since then. Prices in the wood industry were 9 percent higher than last year. Price rises in this sector have been hovering around 10 percent for months now.
In petroleum processing and refining, prices were 6 percent down. Oil prices on the global market - in US dollars - were down 4 percent on August 2006. The decrease in selling prices was enhanced by a further loss of the US dollar against the euro compared with one year previously. In the basic metalindustry prices were down on August 2006 as well: by 1 percent. This is the first decrease in more than three years.
Factory gate prices in the manufacturing industry were on average 0.3 percent down on July 2007. Price decreases of products sold on the domestic market were almost equal to those of exported goods.
