Prices of seasonal food products boosted inflation

Compared with the previous month, the average consumer price increase was 0.9 percent in May 2010, but compared with May 2009 prices were up by 5.1 percent. KSH’s quick report revealed that in the first five months prices were 5.8 percent higher than in the same period a year before. Compared with prices in April 2010, food prices were up by 1.1 percent, largely due to the prices of seasonal food products rising by 7.6 percent; if we calculated without these we would see that food prices did not change from previous months. Cooking oil prices also increased – by 4.4 percent – and energy prices were up 4.1 percent (the price of gas elevated by 10.8 percent). In comparison with food prices in May 2009 food prices diminished by 1.3 percent on average. For instance, seasonal food product prices reduced by 12.6 percent.