KALIBO, Aklan – The province’s inflation rate hit a four-year high at 6.2 percent in April 2018, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Inflation went up 5.8 percent over last month’s index and 2.7 percent a year ago.
The last period that inflation reached this high was in December 2013 at 6.5 percent.
The growth comes as the alcoholic beverages and tobacco index rose to 20.5 percent and food and non-alcoholic beverages index, 8.9 percent.
Other commodity groups that had higher annual mark-up include health (4.7 percent), furnishings, household equipment and housing maintenance (2.8 percent), transport (2.2 percent), housing, water, electricity, gas (HWEG) and other fuels (2.2 percent), restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services (2.0 percent), clothing and footwear (1.9 percent), recreation and culture (0.5 percent), and communication (0.4 percent).
On the other hand, Education had retained its previous annual rates.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices in Aklan inched up 0.9 percent, higher compared the previous month’s 0.7 percent.
Ten of the 11 commodity groups showed higher increment. They include health (2.6 percent), furnishings, household equipment and housing maintenance (2.3 percent), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (1.4 percent), clothing and footwear (1.1 percent), food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.0 percent), restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services (0.7 percent), HWEG and other fuels (0.7 percent), recreation and culture (0.5 percent), transport (0.3 percent), and communication (0.2 percent).
No price movement was noted in education compared to last month.
The increase in price index across heavily-weighted food items was pushed by increments in sugar, jam and related products (3.7 percent), corn (3..6 percent), non-alcoholic beverages (2.5 percent), rice (1.3 percent), bread and cereals (1.3 percent), fish (1.2 percent), meat (0.9 percent), Food Products NEC such as spices and vinegar (0.7 percent), Flour, cereal preparations, and related products (0.7 percent), milk, cheese and eggs (0.5 percent), and oils and fats (0.2 percent).
Fruits and vegetables showed slower price adjustments with -0.9 percent and -0.1 percent, respectively. (With PSA Aklan/PN)
