GUIMARAS – The food inflation rate in this island province spiked to 4.8 percent in December 2024 from 2.4 percent in November 2024, bringing the provincial average food inflation to 7.9 percent in 2024.
The food inflation rate for December 2023 was at 7.3 percent.
“The acceleration of food inflation in December 2024 was primarily influenced by the monthly price change on vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses with 14.2 percent inflation from 0.0 percent in the previous month, accounting for 48.0 percent share to the trend of December 2024 food inflation,” said Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare
She added: “Also sharing to the uptrend of food inflation were the fast price movements in meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals with 5.3 percent from 1.5 percent in November 2024 with 23.4 percent share to December 2024 food inflation.”
Likewise, fruits and nuts posted -3.1 percent inflation, faster than the -11.1 percent inflation recorded in the previous month.
Other commodities which showed an increase in food inflation rates in December from November 2024 were fish and other seafood, -7.1 percent from -8.2 percent; and oils and fats, -1.1 percent from -1.3 percent.
In contrast, the following were the food items with slower inflation in December than in November 2024:
* Cereals and cereal products, 13.6 percent from 14.7 percent;
* Milk, other dairy products and eggs, 3.8 percent from 4.0 percent; and
* Sugar, confectionery and desserts, -5.8 percent from -5.5 percent.
Meanwhile, core food inflation, which excludes selected food items, increased to 3.5 percent in December 2024 from 0.3 percent in the previous month.
Core food inflation in Guimaras was recorded at 3.7 percent in December 2023./PN
