Non-food inflation rose in Q2, FM tells JS

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal admitted on Monday that non-food inflation in the second quarter of the current fiscal increased, but the food inflation decreased, reports UNB.

He made the statement while placing the report on budget implementation progress of the second quarter, the trend of income and expenditure, and macroeconomic analysis.

Data showed that non-food inflation in October was 5.9 per cent, 5.49 per cent in November and 5.45 per cent in December. The 12 months average after the quarter is 4.51 per cent.

During the same period in the last fiscal, the rates were 3.61 per cent, 4.10 per cent and 3.85 per cent respectively. The 12 months average after the quarter was 3.5 per cent.

Food inflation in the October-December period was 5.08, 5.295 and 5.28 per cent while it was 7.62, 7.09 and 7.13 per cent in the same period of the last fiscal. The 12 months average after the quarter of the current fiscal is 6.21 per cent while it was 7.17 per cent in the previous fiscal. The overall inflation in the stipulated three months of the current fiscal was 5.4, 5.37 and 5.35 per cent which was 6.04, 5.91 and 5.83 per cent in the previous fiscal. The 12 months average after the quarter of the 2018-19 fiscal is 5.54 per cent. It was 5.7 during the last fiscal.

The minister said remittance inflow increased by 8.06 per cent in the second quarter of the current fiscal compared to the previous year.