Inflationary pressure eased to some extent as the November Consumer Price Index (CPI) was a bit lower than in the previous month, official statistics showed on Monday.
The national statistical body -- Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) -- has shown that the bloated food inflation till October on a point-to-point basis eased significantly, contributing to a fall in the overall inflation rate to 9.49 per cent in November.
According to the BBS, the inflation rate on point-to-point basis decreased by 0.44 per cent to 9.49 per cent last month from 9.93 per cent in October.
Meanwhile, in November last year, 2022, the point-to-point inflation was recorded at 8.85 per cent.
The BBS data showed that the food-inflation rate on a point-to-point basis in the month of November fell to 10.76 per cent from 12.56 per cent in the previous month of October.
The inflation on non-food items had also dropped slightly in November to 8.16 per cent from 8.30 per cent in October.
BBS officials told the FE that since prices of some food items had fallen to some extent, the CPI declined in November.
The inflation on pint-to-point basis in September recorded a downward trend as it decreased to 9.63 per cent from 9.92 per cent in the previous month of August.
But the inflation escalated again in October, even crossing the last highest calculation of 9.94 per cent five months back in May 2023.
In May this year, the inflation rate was calculated at 9.94 per cent, which was the highest over the last few months.
Meanwhile, the rural people were affected higher than the urban population in November as the CPI trend was showing higher in the villages.
The rate of inflation on a point-to-point basis in rural Bangladesh was recorded at 9.62 per cent last month from that of 9.99 per cent in the previous month October.
On the other hand, the inflation in urban areas was calculated to 9.16 per cent in November from that of 9.72 per cent in October, the BBS data showed.
The food inflation bit the people in urban areas more than in the rural areas.
The food inflation in urban areas was recorded at 10.58 cent in November compared to 12.58 per cent in October last, the national statistical body showed.
The non-food inflation in urban areas stood at 8.17 per cent last month, which was 8.50 per cent in October last.
The BBS has shown that the non-food inflation in rural Bangladesh in November was recorded at 8.00 per cent from that of 8.01 per cent in October.
Meanwhile, the 12-month average inflation during December 2022 and November 2023 was recorded at 9.42 per cent.
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