Higher prices reported in many categories

The retail price index rose by 0.57 points to stand at 100.43 points at the end of last month.

The National Statistics Office said the rise primarily reflected an increase of 4.10 per cent in the clothing and footwear index, mainly due to seasonal higher prices for garments.

Higher air fares pushed the transport and communication index up by 0.74 per cent.

Dairy product prices also went up, making the food index rise by 0.58 per cent.

The household equipment and house maintenance cost index went up by 0.33 per cent, mainly because of more expensive household textiles. Higher prices for materials used for home repair were the primary reason behind an increase of 0.23 per cent in the housing index.

The personal care and health index increased by 0.21 per cent, mainly due to higher fees for services related to personal appearance.

The beverages and tobacco index also increased by 0.11 per cent, mainly because of higher prices for served beverages.

The other goods and services index saw an increase of 0.1 per cent on account of more expensive jewellery items.

In contrast, lower prices of audio-visual equipment led to a decline of 0.54 per cent in the recreation and culture index.

In March, the 12-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 1.26 per cent whereas the annual rate was 0.3 per cent, the NSO said.