MALAYSIA’S Consumer Price Index (CPI) in April increased 2.3% to 125.9, from 123.1 in the same month last year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said.

According to its CPI April 2022 released today, the department said the increase surpassed the average inflation in Malaysia for the period of January 2011-April 2022 (1.9%).

Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said food inflation in April was higher at 4.1% with 89.1% of food items in the food and beverages group recording increases.

This was followed by restaurants and hotels (3.2%), transport (3%), furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (2.7%), miscellaneous goods and services (1.8%) and recreation services and culture (1.3%), he said in a statement today.

Uzir said education increased 1% and housing, water, electricity, and gas and other fuels climbed 0.8%.

He said alcoholic beverages and tobacco and health increased marginally by 0.5% and 0.2% respectively.

“Communication remained unchanged while clothing and footwear declined 0.2% compared with the same month of the preceding year,” he said.

Uzir said the increase in food inflation, which contributed the highest to the overall weight of CPI, remained to be a major contributor to inflation.

“Inflation for this group increased 4.1% in April compared with the same month last year,” he said.

“The increase in the food and non-alcoholic beverages group was largely due to an rise in the component for food away from home, which inclined 4.4% compared with 4.0% in March.”

He said all subgroups in food and non-alcoholic beverages such as milk, cheese and eggs (7.2%), meat (6.2%), vegetables (4.5%) and fish and seafood (3.8%) recorded increases.

“The increase in vegetable prices was due to weather uncertainties that have affected the maturity of vegetables and caused a decline in supply in the market,” he said.

“In addition, the incline in the prices was attributed to the increase of fertiliser prices, logistics costs and labour shortage at farms.”

He said the increase in the transport group was largely due the rise in the average price of unleaded petrol RON97 of RM3.84 per litre compared with RM2.55 per litre in the same month last year.

This was in line with the 63.3% increase in Brent crude oil prices to US$105.78 per barrel in April.

On a monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.2% compared with March, due to the food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport, recreation services and culture, and restaurants and hotels groups, which increased marginally by 0.4%.

Uzir also all states registered increases in inflation with the highest being recorded by Selangor and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (3.1%).

He said inflation for the income group below RM3,000 rose by 2.3% from 123.6 in April 2021 to 126.4% in April 2022. – Bernama, May 25, 2022.