Canada’s wholesale sales fell by 1.9% to $37.6 billion in September, the first decrease in seven months, Statistics Canada said today.

Sales slumped for chemical products, automotive products and building materials. Increases were seen for farm products, and personal and household goods, the federal agency said.

Excluding the automotive sector, total sales in September declined 1.3%. Statistics Canada said wholesale motor vehicle sales dropped by 4.3% for the month.

“[Vehicle] sales were also down by 3.7% for the [third] quarter, partly owing to weak sales by Canadian auto dealers in recent months,” Statistics Canada said.

Wholesale sales of lumber and millwork fell by 3.2%, partly due to a decrease in housing starts in both Canada and the United States in September. Rainy weather and the continuing threat of hurricanes in the United States slowed new housing starts.

Despite the September drop, overall wholesale sales rose 1% in the July-September quarter compared with the April-June quarter. The gain followed a 5.1% increase in the second quarter.

Moreover, cumulative sales for the first nine months of the year were up 6.3% compared with 2003, the government agency said.