Inflation up in April

Living became costlier in April as inflation went up further in the past month following increase in food prices, according to latest official count on the important economic indicator.

The point-to-point inflation rose to 6.32 per cent in April from 6.27 per cent in March, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data released Wednesday.

The point-to-point inflation has been maintaining upturn over the past three months in a row since February.

In February the inflation rate was recorded 6.14 per cent.

This barometer had previously maintained a lower trend until January this year, when it was recorded at 6.04 per cent.

The 12-month (May 2014-April 2015) average inflation was also recorded at 6.56 per cent against 7.48 per cent in the corresponding previous period, the BBS data showed.

Planning Minister AH Mustafa Kamal unveiled the inflation counts at the Planning Commission in the city Wednesday.

The minister explained reasons for the cost of living showing an upswing:    

"The consumer price index (CPI) on food had shown a little bit higher trend last month as the prices went high on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh."

"Hilsa fish, sweets, and clothes' prices were higher on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh which boosted the point-to-point inflation last month," Mr Kamal said.

A BBS official said prices of food items last month increased slightly as supply chain was disrupted due to the political unrest in the last few months.

The country has been suffering from a renewed political unrest since January 06 this year amid growing calls for a fresh election under a neutral government.

According to the BBS data, the month-on-month food-inflation rate rose to 6.48 per cent in April from 6.37 per cent in March.

However, non-food inflation dropped to 6.08 per cent from 6.12 per cent in the previous month.

The official count also showed that in urban area inflation rate in April was recorded higher at 6.88 per cent, which was 6.77 per cent in March.

In the rural areas, the point-to-point inflation heated up to 6.03 per cent in April from 6.01 per cent in the previous month, BBS said.

In urban areas, the food inflation surged to 7.62 per cent from 7.36 per cent. In the upcountry areas, it rose to 5.99 per cent from 5.95 per cent during the period.

In case of non-food inflation, it was, however, down both in urban and rural areas.

According to the BBS data, the non-food inflation rate in the urban areas decreased to 6.07 per cent last month from 6.11 per cent of March.

In the rural areas, it was recorded at 6.09 per cent from that of 6.13 per cent in the previous month, March.

The government aims to keep the inflation within a 6.0-to-6.5 per cent bracket in the current financial year (FY) 2014-15.

Meanwhile, the national wage index witnessed a rise of 9.36 per cent in April from March's 9.27 per cent rate.

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