Retail inflation hits 5-month high of 3.81% in March

Retail inflation jumped to 5-month high of 3.81% in March on costlier protein items, edible oils and non-food products like fuel and light.

Inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) was at 3.65% in February. Protein rich items such as milk & products and eggs were costlier during the month with inflation prints of 4.69% and 3.21% respectively. Prepared meals, snacks and sweets prices were also high as prices grew by 5.65%.

However, vegetables continued to remain in the negative zone with deflation of (-)7.24% in March 2017, as per the data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Overall, food inflation was at 1.93% in February. For fuel and light category, inflation rose to 5.56% for the month.