Japan's Producer Prices Rise 4 Pct in Feb.

   Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)--Japan's producer prices rose 4.0 pct in February from a year before, as soaring rice prices pushed up the cost of more food items including "onigiri" rice balls and "bento" boxed meals, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
   But the pace of rise in the producer price index, which measures the cost of goods traded between businesses, slowed for the first time in six months, after a 4.2 pct gain in January, as the government resumed subsidies for electricity and city gas, the central bank said.
   The index stood at 125.3, rising for the 48th straight month. Prices rose for 384 of the 515 items surveyed and fell for 108.
   Prices of agriculture, forestry and fishery products jumped 39.4 pct, lifted by higher polished and brown rice prices and surging egg prices stemming from an outbreak of avian influenza. Food and beverage prices rose 2.6 pct.
   The pace of month-on-month rise in polished rice prices slowed to 1.9 pct. Rice prices are expected to fluctuate around current levels until new crops become available, a BOJ official said.

(2025/03/12-12:07)

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