Canadian Commodity Prices Slip in April

OTTAWA - Jun 26/06 - SNS -- Canadian farmers watched prices received for the agricultural commodity they sell fall 0.9% in April as gains in crop values were offset by declines in livestock, according to Statistics Canada.

Prices for livestock and animal products were 1.0% lower in April than they were a year earlier. This was the third consecutive month of year-over-year decreases, driven mainly by lower hog prices.

Prices for crops edged up 0.6% in April over last year, the first year-over-year increase since the fall of 2004. Although producers received lower prices for grains, oilseeds and specialty crops, higher prices for potatoes, fruit and vegetables were recorded.

The Farm Product Price Index stood at 95.7 (1997=100) in April, up from the revised March index of 95.2.

Prices farmers received for crops were up 3.5% in April compared to March, as all major categories recorded increases except grains.

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