February 21, 2007	Wednesday	Safar 3, 1428

WIESBADEN, Feb 20: German producer prices, the price of goods at the factory gate, rose by 3.2 per cent on a 12-month basis in January, the slowest rate in just over two years, the federal statistics office Destatis said on Tuesday. In December, the German producer price index had risen by 4.4pc year-on-year.

The January rate of producer price inflation rate was the lowest since December 2004, Destatis said in a statement.

The main factor behind the slowdown was a statistical base effect, but also lower energy prices, the statisticians said.—AFP