Price of goods leaving factory gates down 6.3% in May

Fruit and vegetables were up 8.8%, while dairy products were down 5% year-on-year

The price of goods leaving factories in May was down 6.3 per cent compared with the same month last year, new figures show.

The wholesale price index, published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Friday, showed monthly factory gate prices increased by 0.3 per cent in the month compared to an increase of 0.8 per cent for May of last year.

The annual percentage change showed a decrease of 6.3 per cent in May 2019, compared to a decrease of 5.9 per cent in the year to April 2019.

In the month, the price index for export sales increased by 0.2 per cent, while the index for home sales showed no change.

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There was a year-on-year decrease of 6.7 per cent in the price index for export sales, although the CSO pointed out that this can be influenced by currency fluctuations.

There was a year-on-year increase of 2.1 per cent in respect of the price index for home sales.

In terms of food products, fruit and vegetables were up 8.8 per cent year-on-year, while dairy products were down 5 per cent.

Fish and fish products were up 7.5 per cent, while grain milling, starches and animal feeds were down 5.7 per cent.

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter