The 3.9 percent rate returns inflation within the central bank’s 3 percent target, plus/minus 1 percent, registering the lowest rate during the first three months of this year
TIRANA, April 8 – Albania’s Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) announced that the consumer price index, CPI, increased 3.9% year-on-year last March, slower than the 4.4% growth in the previous month.
One year earlier, the CPI was up 1.6%. The 3.9 percent rate returns inflation within the central bank’s 3 percent target, plus/minus 1 percent, registering the lowest rate during the first three months of this year.
On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.1% in March, compared to the 1.1% growth in the previous month.
The “food and non-alcoholic beverages” index remained unchanged but the “fruit” subgroup registered an increase of 2.5 percent compared to the previous month. Mandarin, lemon, pear and banana prices rose from 2 to 9.2 percent, according to INSTAT. March prices registered an increase even in other food subgroups such as “fish” by 1.1 percent, “milk, cheese and eggs” by 0.5 percent, “non-alcoholic drinks” by 0.4 percent.
Meanwhile, prices of the “vegetables including potatoes” subgroup fell by 2.4 percent in March. The index of “clothes and shoes” fell by 0.5 percent. The “alcoholic drinks and tobacco” group increased by 0.7 percent, with tobacco prices up by 1 percent.
The transport index also registered an increase of 0.5 percent. Fuel prices continued their rising trend with diesel prices increasing by 1.4 percent and petrol prices by 3.2 percent.
The “rent, water, fuel and energy” group rose by 0.2 percent with drinking water price registering the highest increase of 25.1 percent.
Monthly changes in other groups varied from 0.1 to 0.2 percent, said the Institute of Statistics.
Last February the inflation rate registered a record 4.4 percent, exceeding the bank’s target by 0.4 percent, mainly because of higher food and electricity prices.
The electrical energy price in February registered an increase of 13.1 percent which was also reflected in the CPI of January 2010 when the price increase became effective.
The Bank of Albania has said inflationary trends are expected to fall during the second half of the year.
