BEIJING (AFP) -- China's factory gate prices rose 3.0 percent from a year earlier in February as the costs for raw materials, fuel and energy increased, the government said Friday.

In January, factory gate or wholesale prices were up 3.1 pct year-on-year.

The producer price index (PPI) also rose by 3.0 percent for the first two months of the year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics figures.

Procurement prices for raw materials, fuel and power rose 6.8 percent year-on-year in February, the bureau said in a statement.

Prices for production materials increased 4.2 percent, while mining and exploration prices rose 25.2 percent.

Prices for consumer goods dropped 0.4 percent and food and related products fell 1.0 percent. Clothing and related product prices were up 1.7 percent.

Prices for crude oil were up 43.1 percent, with gasoline, kerosene and diesel prices climbing 25.9 percent, 24.5 percent and 23.7 percent, respectively.

Coal mining and washing prices rose 9.3 percent and raw coal prices were up 8.8 percent.

Prices for large and medium-sized steel products fell 5.6 percent and 10.7 percent, respectively, while small steel product prices were down 5.1 percent.

Non-ferrous metal processing prices rose 15.3 percent.

Prices for copper, aluminum and lead rose between 8.5 percent and 33.7 percent.