Means of production prices fall in China

BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Most of the capital goods monitored by the Chinese government posted lower prices in late September compared with mid-September this year, official data showed Sunday.

Of the 50 major goods monitored by the government, which include seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer and some agricultural products mainly used for processing, 22 saw their prices increase, while 23 posted lower prices, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The hog price edged up 2.1 percent in late September to 24.2 yuan (about 3.4 U.S. dollars) per kg.

The reading, released every 10 days, is based on a survey of nearly 2,000 wholesalers and distributors in 31 provincial-level regions.