Prices for goods leaving factory gates in Ireland increased 3.2 per cent over the year to January, following a rise of 0.4 per cent last month.
The annual wholesale price index, which measures the selling price of domestically manufactured goods, increase of 0.4 per cent in January compares to a decrease of 0.6 per cent in January 2008, according tothe Central Statistics Office (CSO).
As a result the index had a reading of 90 in December. The index took prices in 2000 as a benchmark when it set the baseline at 100.
The most significant changes in the month was a 0.7 per cent increase in prices for exports and a 0.3 per cent fall in prices for products sold domestically.
Last month prices for pharmaceutical and other chemical products rose 1.9 per cent while computers and office machinery prices were 1.2 per cent higher last month.
Over the year the price of food products including bread and confectionary grew by 12.5 per cent compared with January 2008 while prices for pharmaceutical products were 10.3 per cent up. Prices for diary products were 9.7 per cent lower.
There was a 3.8 per cent increase in annual prices for energy products last month, with petroleum fuel prices dropping 21.7 per cent.
However, the impact of the property slowdown in the second half of 2008 can be seen from the easing of building and construction materials prices.
Over the year to January prices for these products have risen 1.6 per cent, but were down -0.6 per cent on the month having fallen for the last three months.