Producer price data for May 2025 shows a mixed landscape across sectors in the Czech economy. Industrial producer prices continued their downward trend, falling for the fourth consecutive month, while prices in agriculture, construction, and services maintained year-on-year growth. According to the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), industrial producer prices dropped by 0.6% month-on-month and were 0.8% lower than in May 2024. “The decline in industrial prices continues, driven by reductions in key sectors such as energy and chemicals,” said Vladimír Klimeš, head of the Industrial and International Trade Prices Statistics Unit at CZSO. Agricultural Producer Prices Agricultural prices decreased by 1.5% compared to April. This decline was influenced by lower prices for cereals (-0.9%) and eggs (-6.1%), though increases were recorded for pigs for slaughter (+5.6%), potatoes (+3.5%), and cattle for slaughter (+1.5%). On a year-on-year basis, agricultural producer prices remained significantly higher—up 15.7%. Crop production rose by 16.1%, with notable increases in fruit (+36.3%) and oilseeds (+24.6%). Animal production rose 15.9%, driven by strong gains in prices for eggs (+43.6%), milk (+19.5%), and cattle (+27.1%), despite a 9.0% decline in pig prices. Industrial Producer Prices Industrial prices fell 0.6% month-on-month, led by declines in ‘electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning’ (-2.7%) and ‘chemicals and chemical products’ (-1.3%). Price increases were seen in ‘basic metals’ (+1.4%) and ‘food products’ (+0.4%), especially ‘preserved meat’ (+1.4%) and ‘animal feeds’ (+0.9%). Year-on-year, industrial prices declined by 0.8%, with continued drops in energy-related categories including ‘electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning’ (-3.5%), ‘chemicals’ (-6.2%), and ‘coal and lignite’ (-10.2%). Food products rose 3.2%, with a strong gain in dairy products (+12.3%). Among main industrial groupings, energy prices declined 5.9% y-o-y, while prices for consumer goods and capital goods rose by just over 2%. Excluding energy, industrial producer prices were up 1.4% compared to 0.6% in April. Construction Prices Estimated construction work prices increased by 0.4% month-on-month and were up 3.9% year-on-year. Prices for construction materials and products rose by 0.1% m-o-m and 1.0% y-o-y. Service Sector Prices Service producer prices in the business sector rose by 0.2% from April, and were 4.4% higher than a year ago. The most significant monthly increases were in entertainment-related services such as ‘motion picture, video and music publishing’ (+7.7%) and ‘broadcasting services’ (+4.0%). Prices also rose for advertising (+1.8%) and engineering services (+1.1%). Declines were noted in ‘employment services’ (-1.3%) and ‘information services’ (-1.8%). Excluding advertising, service prices were flat m-o-m and up 3.4% y-o-y. EU Comparison – April 2025 According to Eurostat’s preliminary data, industrial producer prices in the EU27 declined by 2.1% m-o-m in April. Notable decreases were recorded in Bulgaria (-4.9%), France (-4.3%), and Ireland (-4.0%). Prices also fell in Czechia (-0.8%), Germany (-0.7%), and Poland (-0.6%). On a year-on-year basis, EU-wide industrial prices rose by 0.6%, with the highest increases seen in Bulgaria (+17.0%), Ireland (+5.4%), and Greece (+5.3%). Czechia posted a y-o-y decline of 1.3%. The data highlights continued deflationary pressures in industrial production across Europe, while domestic sectors such as construction and services remain more resilient.