SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Prices for goods and services among South Korean suppliers rose for the fifth consecutive month, central bank data showed Tuesday.
The producer price index (PPI) advanced 0.6 percent in January from a month earlier, continuing to increase since September last year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The consecutive growth was attributed to expensive farm goods and higher semiconductor prices.
Prices for agricultural, livestock and fishery products among suppliers expanded 0.7 percent in January on a monthly basis, with those for agricultural and livestock products going up 1.4 percent and 0.9 percent each.
Producer prices for industrial products, including oil products, swelled 0.6 percent last month, faster than a growth of 0.4 percent in the previous month.
Prices for coal and oil products declined 3.9 percent, but prices for computers, electronics and optical devices climbed 1.8 percent.
Service prices increased 0.7 percent due to higher costs for the finance, insurance and transport services.
Prices for electricity, natural gas and tap water were unchanged in January compared to the previous month. ■