Prices for manufactured goods at the factory gate increased for the fifth consecutive month in April, Statistics Canada said today.

Meanwhile, raw materials prices were down from March as crude oil prices declined.

Manufacturers’ prices rose 0.5% from March to April, StatsCan said. Higher prices for petroleum products, motor vehicles and other transport equipment, pulp and paper products, chemical products and electrical and communication products were the main sources of the monthly increase.

On a year-to-year basis, however, the growth in the industrial product price index slowed to 1.5% in April from 2.3% in March.

The government agency’s raw materials price index dropped 1.6% from March to April, following a 6.3% increase the previous month.

Prices of mineral fuels, animals, animal products, non-ferrous metals as well as vegetable products all fell.

Compared to April of last year, raw materials cost factories 13.3% more, down from the 12-month increase of 14.7% in March.

Raw materials prices fell in April as crude oil prices decreased 1.9% because of increased inventories and a slight decline in demand.