Inflation rises above average, with food inflation higher at 4.1 pct

 

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in April 2022 increased 2.3 percent to 125.9 percent compared with 123.1 percent in the same month of the preceding year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said.

According to its CPI April 2022 released today, the DOSM said the increase surpassed the average inflation in Malaysia for the period of January 2011 to April 2022 (1.9 per cent).

Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said food inflation in April was higher at 4.1 percent with 89.1 percent of food items in the food and beverages group recording increases.

This was followed by restaurants and hotels (3.2 percent); transport (three percent); furnishings; household equipment and routine household maintenance (2.7 percent); miscellaneous goods and services (1.8 percent); and recreation services and culture (1.3 percent), he said in a statement today.

Mohd Uzir said education increased one percent, and housing, water, electricity, and gas and other fuels climbed 0.8 percent.

Food prices have increased

Marginal increase

He said alcoholic beverages and tobacco and health increased marginally by 0.5 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

“Communication remained unchanged, while clothing and footwear declined 0.2 percent compared to the same month of the preceding year,” he said.

Elaborating on the report, he said the increase in food prices, which contributed the highest to the overall weight of CPI, remained to be a major contributor to inflation.

“Inflation for this group increased 4.1 per cent in April 2022 compared to the same month of the previous year.

“The increase in the food and non-alcoholic beverages group was largely due to an increase in the component for food away from home which increased 4.4 percent compared to 4.0 percent in March 2022,” he said.

He added that all subgroups in food and non-alcoholic beverages such as milk; cheese and eggs (7.2 percent); meat (6.2 percent); vegetables (4.5 percent); and fish and seafood (3.8 percent) recorded increases.

“The increase in vegetable prices was due to weather uncertainties that have affected the maturity of vegetables and caused a decline in supply in the market.

“In addition, the incline in the prices was attributed to the increase in fertiliser prices, logistics costs and labour shortage at agricultural sites,” he said.

Fuel prices

Furthermore, the increase in the transport group was largely due to the increase in the average price of unleaded petrol RON97 at RM3.84 per litre compared to RM2.55 per litre in the same month last year.

Fuel prices have gone up

This was in line with the 63.3 percent increase in Brent crude oil prices to US$105.78 per barrel in April 2022.

On a monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.2 percent compared to March 2022, attributed to food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport; recreation services and culture; and restaurants and hotels, which increased marginally by 0.4 percent, respectively.

Besides, he said all states registered increases in inflation with the highest increase recorded by Selangor and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (3.1 percent).

He added that inflation for the income group below RM3,000 increased 2.3 percent from 123.6 in April 2021 to 126.4 percent in April 2022.

- Bernama