BEIJING - China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, went down 2.5 percent year-on-year in April, the National Bureau of Statistics said Saturday.

The decrease narrowed from a 2.8-percent decline in March. On a monthly basis, the PPI edged down 0.2 percent, widening from a 0.1-percent decrease a month earlier, the data showed.

In April, industrial production continued to recover, but the demand in some sectors experienced a temporary decline, said NBS statistician Dong Lijuan.

Among the major industries, the PPI of the oil and gas extraction industry went up 3.4 percent month-on-month, while that of the petroleum, coal and other fuel processing sectors rose 1 percent from the previous month as international price increase drove up domestic prices in industries related to oil and non-ferrous metals.

Coal supply is sufficient, and the demand for thermal coal saw a seasonal decline, causing the PPI of the coal mining and washing industry to decrease by 3 percent month-on-month in April.

The carry-over effect of last year's price movements dragged down the year-on-year PPI decline by 1.8 percentage points last month, according to Dong.

China's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, edged up 0.3 percent year-on-year in April, NBS data showed.