The monthly bulletin of producer prices is published by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN). It covers producer prices for two industries namely, Mining & Quarrying and Manufacturing and is published with a two month time lag. All indices are subject to two subsequent revisions after the original release.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for the Mining & Quarrying industry rose by 3.1 per cent. For the same period output prices in the Manufacturing industry increased by 5.3 per cent. The main contributor to this increase was a 7.3 per cent upward movement in the index for ‘Food, Beverages & Tobacco’.

The point to point movements for the period April 2007 to April 2008 reflected a 17.3 per cent increase in the index for Mining & Quarrying. The index for the Manufacturing industry experienced a 27.6 per cent increase over the same period.

The revised fiscal year to date (April 2007 to March 2008) indicate that PPI for the Manufacturing industry recorded a 21.2 per cent upward movement. There was also a revision in the index for the Mining & Quarrying industry which rose by 13.8 percent from the 11.9 percent previously recorded.

The Producer Price Index April 2008 Bulletin provides detailed information on the movement of producer prices and is available at the Statistical Institute of Jamaica’s Distribution Centre located at 7 Cecelio Avenue, Kingston 10. PPI data are also published on the STATIN website at www.statinja.com .