STATIN says the all-Jamaica CPI for February declined by 0.9%

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) says the all-Jamaica Consumer Price Index (CPI) for February declined by 0.9%.

In a release yesterday, STATIN said that for the division “Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages,” there was a 2.5% decline in the index.

According to STATIN, this movement was due primarily to an 11.3% fall in the index for the class “Vegetables, Tubers, Plantains, Cooking Bananas and Pulses.”

STATIN noted that these decreases were attributable to the decline in the prices of some agricultural produce, including cabbage, carrot, cucumber, sweet pepper and tomato, as a result of increased supply on the local market.

However, STATIN said the movement in the CPI was moderated by a 0.2% increase in the index of the “Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels” and the “Transport” divisions.

These increases were due to higher electricity rates and petrol prices, respectively.

In the meantime, STATIN said the point-to-point inflation rate from February last year to February this year was 3.9%.

It said this was influenced mainly by the point-to-point inflation rate for the divisions: “Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages,” “Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels,” and “Personal Care, Social Protection and Miscellaneous Goods and Services.”

According to STATIN, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures changes in the general level of prices for consumer goods and services purchased by private households.