China's industrial producer prices increased by 3.1 percent in January over the same period of 2005, the National Bureau of Statistics said (NBS) Tuesday.

Prices paid by producers for raw materials, fuel and electricity rose by 6.4 percent in the same period.

Factory prices for mining products surged by 25.2 percent. Raw materials inched up 6.4 percent. Processed products rose by 0.1 percent.

Producer prices for consumer products, however, slid by 0.3 percent. Prices for food and durable consumer products declined by 0.5 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.

Manufacturer's prices for crude oil rocketed by 40.7 percent, driving up industrial prices by 1.2 percentage points.

Prices for raw and washed coal went up 12.7 percent.

Prices for refined, rolled and flattened ferrous metals declined by 6.6 percent, compared to a 13.2 percent increases in prices for refined, rolled and flattened non-ferrous metals.

(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2006)