China's industrial producer prices increased by 3.6 percent in July over the same period in 2005, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday.

The price of raw materials, fuel and electricity rose by 6.7 percent in July year on year.

These figures are in line with this year's overall trend. For the first seven months of the year, industrial producer prices were up 2.9 percent on the same period last year, with purchasing prices for raw materials, fuels and electricity up 6.1 percent.

In July, prices for processed mined products surged by 15.9 percent, with raw materials up 8.1 percent. Processed products rose 1.6 percent.

Wholesale prices for consumer products remained unchanged in July. Food prices gained 0.1 percent. Durable consumer products dipped 1.9 percent.

Manufacturer's prices for crude oil rocketed 26.6 percent in July and prices for gasoline, kerosene and diesel were up 25.4 percent, 27 percent and 21.2 percent respectively.

The price of raw coal inched up 2.4 percent.

Prices for refined, rolled and flattened ferrous metals declined by 2.7 percent, while prices for refined, rolled and flattened non-ferrous metals shot up by 26.9 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2006)