Brunei CPI eases 0.3% in April

THE consumer price index in April fell by 0.3 per cent over the previous month, but rose 2.3 per cent against the same month last year, government data showed.

Month-on-month, there was no change in the overall indices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, household goods, services and operation and communication, the Department of Economic and Planning (JPKE) said in a statement.

Although the total cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages remained the same, there were increases in the cost of meat and meat products, dairy products and eggs, fruits, sugar, sugar preservatives, among others. Among food items, fruit prices posted the biggest jump at 3.1 per cent, while vegetable prices posted the biggest decline at 2.4 per cent.

A local economist, who asked to remain anonymous, said the price fluctuation in fruits would solely depend on supply and demand.

Year-on-year, the biggest contributor to the 2.3 per cent jump in April this year among non-food items were clothing and footwear prices, which rose six per cent.

The clothing and footwear group saw a hefty rise in costs due to higher prices of ready-made clothing and accessories, materials, accessories and rental of wedding dress, tailoring charges and so on.

The costs of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 3.4 per cent this year due to higher prices of rice and cereal products, seafood and seafood products, dairy products and eggs and so on.

The costs of medical and health services, on the other hand, fell 0.6 per cent due to lower prices of medical and dental treatments and proprietary medicines and supplies.

The cost of education also eased, falling 0.5 per cent. Debbie Too The Brunei Times