The Sultanate's producer price index (PPI)-based inflation fell by 1.3% in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the same period of last year due to a fall in oil and gas prices, according to the latest statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The price of oil and gas products fell by 0.9%, and those of non-oil products fell by 3.3% in the second quarter of 2019, over the same period of last year.

Among oil and gas group, refined oil products fell by 3.7%, and the prices of crude oil and natural gas fell by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the same period of the previous year.

In the non-oil group, the prices of the manufacturing group and the prices of mining, electricity and water group index fell by 4.2% and 0.2%, respectively.

Among different sub-groups in the manufacturing group, the prices of most of the product groups fell at varying degrees. The producer prices of food, beverages and textiles products group increased by 2.3%, whereas metal products, machinery & equipment fell by 6.7%, and transportable goods fell by 5.5%.

In the food, beverages and textiles products group, the price of beverages rose by 17%; bakery and other food products by 1.4%; whereas there was a decline in fish, fruits, vegetables and oils by 4.5%; clothing, textiles and footwear by 1.9%; and dairy products by 0.4%, added the NCSI report.

The price of paints and pharmaceutical products rose by 1.6%; wood and paper products by 0.5%, whereas a decline was witnessed in the prices of chemical products by 11.3%; glass, cement and marble products by 3%; rubber and plastic products by 1.6%; furniture, jewelry, and anti-melted metal waste by 0.8%, the NCSI bulletin showed.

The price index of metal products, machinery and equipment in the second quarter of 2019 fell by 6.7% compared to the same period of 2018. There was a drop in prices of raw steel and aluminum products by 11.3%; distribution and delivery of electricity apparatus, recording tapes and CDs by 4.8%, and those of fabricated steel and aluminum products by 1.6%.