Overall general point-to-inflation falls to 6.6pc in Oct

The overall general point-to-point inflation rate slightly declined to 6.60 per cent in October this year from 6.84pc in the previous month (September). Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal stated this while releasing the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) at a press conference at the NEC conference room of the Planning Commission in the city on Thursday. He said the inflation rate of the country has declined because of fall in the prices of some products on international market including fuel oil, edible oil and sugar. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data, the point-to-point food inflation rate in Oct this year declined to 7.16pc from 7.63pc in Sept. The point-to-point non-food inflation rate in Oct rose slightly to 5.74pc from 5.63pc in the previous month (Sept). Replying to a question, the Planning Minister said that as Oct was the month of Eid-ul-Azha, people spent extra money in buying clothes and other necessities. The point-to-point non-food inflation rate in Oct rose a little for the extra expenditures. The BBS data showed that the general point-to-point inflation rate in Oct was 6.79pc in urban areas while 6.49pc in rural areas compared to Sept figures of 7.02pc in urban areas and 6.75pc in the rural areas. The food inflation declined in rural areas in Oct this year to 7.11pc, down from 7.52pc in Sept. The non-food inflation in rural areas rose slightly to 5.36pc in Oct compared to 5.31pc in Sept. In urban areas, the food inflation rate declined to 7.27pc in Oct from 7.88pc in Sept. The non-food inflation rate in urban areas witnessed an uptrend in Oct as it stood at 6.26pc as against 6.07pc in Sept, according to a news agency.