Wholesale prices rose by 1.1 per cent in July, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This represents only the second rise in 10 months and compares with a 1.6 per cent decrease for the same month last year.
As a result, the annual percentage change showed a decrease of 8.2 per cent in July 2003 compared to a decrease of 10.6 per cent in June.
Contributing to the monthly increase was a 5.5 per cent increase in the price of energy products in the year since July 2002 while petroleum fuels increased by 2.6 per cent.