The Department of Census and Statistics has released the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) for the month of October 2016. NCPI has been calculated as 114.7 for October 2016. This shows an increase of 1.2 index points or a percentage of 1.1 compared to the previous month’s (September) index of 113.5. This monthly change is due to the increase of expenditure value of food items by 0.79% and increase of expenditure value of non-food items by 0.22%.

The expenditure value of food group has increased by 0.79 percent in October 2016 compared to September 2016.  The increase in expenditure value of food commodity in October 2016 compared to that of September 2016 was due to the price increases in rice, coconut, limes, vegetables, dried fish, coconut oil, pineapple, banana, sugar, dhal-maisoor, red onions, garlic, wheat flour and chicken.

However, decreases in value change in index were reported for papaw, mangoes, fresh fish, eggs, green chilies, potatoes and big onions.

The expenditure value of non food group has increased by 0.22 percent in October 2016 compared to that of September 2016. This was due to the expenditure value increases in non food commodity groups of ‘Alcoholic Beverages Tobacco & Narcotics’, 'Miscellaneous Goods and Services' and ‘Recreation and Culture’. The groups of ‘Clothing and Footwear’, 'Furnishing, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance' and ‘Restaurant and Hotels' recorded very small expenditure value increases compared to the previous month of September. The expenditure value of ‘Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels’, ‘Health’, ‘Transport’, ‘Communication’ and ‘Education’ groups remained unchanged during the month. The expenditure value increase in ‘Alcoholic Beverages Tobacco & Narcotics’ was mainly due to price increases in tobacco products with effect from beginning of October 2016.