beijingchinas factorygate prices grew at their slowest pace in eight months in february as consumer price inflation stayed flat official data showed wednesday leaving room for the central bank to ease monetary policy to boost demand the producer price index rose 88 from a year earlier in february decelerating from a 91 increase in january according to the national bureau of statistics the reading was in line with the expectations of economists polled by the wall street journal however on a monthly basis ppi swung to positive territory last month ticking up 05 amid a rise in the prices of international commodities like crude oil and nonferrous metals said dong lijuan a senior statistician with chinas statistics bureau the sharp rise in international crude prices has driven up prices in domestic oilrelated industries while coal prices have continued to fall the bureau said chinas consumer price index increased 09 from a year earlier last month on par with the pace recorded in january and also in line with what economists in the wsj poll had forecast food prices fell 39 from a year earlier offsetting the increase in nonfood prices which rose 21 last month in the meantime due to the lunar new year holiday the transportation and entertainment consumption prices climbed the bureau said the cpi rose 06 on a monthly basis in february