beijingchinas factorygate prices in october grew at the fastest pace in 25 years due to the surging coal prices the producerprice index rose 135 from a year earlier in october accelerating from septembers 107 increase the national bureau of statistics said wednesday octobers result is now the highest rate of increase recorded in the data series since it began in 1996 followed by the september figure the reading beat the expectation of economists polled by the wall street journal who had expected a rise of 125 on a monthly basis ppi rose 25 in october from september coal prices drove the growth with the supply of coal tight prices surged in october said dong lijuan a statistician at the bureau prices for the coal mining and washing industry increased 1037 the stastistics bureau said the countrys consumerprice index which has softened for months rebounded in october thanks to soaring vegetable prices caused by heavy rain and logistics deadlocks cpi rose 15 from a year earlier doubling from the 07 increase marked in september the statistics bureau said the reading was higher than the 14 growth economists had predicted in the wsj poll food price deflation narrowed to 24 in october from 52 in september while nonfood prices increased 24 the bureau said the price of fresh vegetables rose by 166 affecting the increase of cpi by about 034 and accounting for nearly 50 of the total increase mr dong said