Casablanca – Morocco’s industrial producer prices increased slightly in July, with the overall index for manufacturing industries excluding petroleum refining rising 0.1% compared with June, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP).
The increase was driven by higher prices in several manufacturing activities. Food industries and the manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products both recorded a 0.2% increase, while prices in metallurgy rose by 0.9%, the strongest monthly increase among the manufacturing branches covered by the index.
These increases were partly offset by a 0.1% decline in chemical industry prices. The manufacturing producer price index stood at 118.4 in July, up from 118.3 in June.
Food industry prices rose from 120.2 to 120.5, while the index for other non-metallic mineral products increased from 111.3 to 111.5. Metallurgy recorded a larger movement, with its index climbing from 118.5 in June to 119.6 in July. Chemical industry prices, meanwhile, fell from 139.4 to 139.3.
Most other manufacturing branches recorded no change during the month. Prices for beverages, tobacco products, textiles, clothing, leather and footwear, wood and cork products, paper and cardboard, as well as printing and reproduction of recorded media all remained stable.
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It was the same case for pharmaceutical products, rubber and plastic products, fabricated metal products excluding machinery and equipment, computer, electronic and optical products, electrical equipment, machinery and equipment not elsewhere classified, automobiles, other transport equipment, furniture and other manufacturing industries.
The index for other manufacturing industries remained at 217.1, while automobile industry prices held at 107.0. Furniture prices also stayed at 107.2 in July.
Outside manufacturing, producer prices also remained unchanged. The indices for extractive industries, electricity production and distribution, and water production and distribution all stagnated in July.
The extractive industries index stood at 100.5, with the indices for hydrocarbon extraction, metal ore extraction and other extractive industries unchanged at 100.0, 100.0 and 100.5, respectively.
The electricity production and distribution index remained at 100.0, as did the water production and distribution index.
