BERLIN, April 28 - German import prices fell in March by 0.6 percent compared with February, reflecting the fall in the price of oil, data released on Monday showed. The Federal Statistics Office said petrol prices fell 7.6 percent in March compared to February, while crude oil prices were down 6.7 percent in the same period. Raw cocoa prices were also down sharply month-on-month. Year-on-year, there were strong price increases for imported fuels, up 23.8 percent, which included a 33.6 percent rise in diesel and light heating oil and a 13.1 percent increase in the price of crude oil.
Economists polled by had on average predicted a fall of 0.2 percent month-on-month and a fall of 0.3 percent year-on-year for the headline index. On an annual basis, import prices ex-oil fell 2.4 percent, showing little underlying price pressure in the German economy.//