Central Statistical Office: Retail prices fell 0.3% at end of 2021

THE all items index of retail prices indicated a 0.3 per cent decrease in prices between November and December last year.

The index, released on Tuesday by the Central Statistical Office gave a weighted average of proportionate changes of specific prices for consumer goods and services.

The index indicated that overall, prices decreased by 0.3 points between November and December last year, going from 113.6 points to 113.3. For December last year food and non-alcoholic beverage decreased from 128.2 points to 127.0. Alcoholic beverages went down from 116 points to 115.6 points; clothing decreased from 91.1 points to 91 points. Price points for health care decreased between November and December last year, from 141.0 points to 140.2 points. Other categories remained at the same level.

The year-on-year overall price index between December last year and December 2020 showed an increase of 3.8 points, going up from 109.5 points at the end 2020 to 113.3 points in December 2021.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages went up seven points year-on-year from 120.1 in December 2020 to 127 points last December. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco also increased over the year, going from 113.4 points in 2020 to 115.6 points last year.

In December 2020, home ownership was indexed at 104.1 points but last year it jumped to 112.1 points, an increase of eight points. Health, while decreasing between November and December last year, showed a three-point increase from 137.2 in 2020 to 140.2 last year.

With regard to the decreases over the last two months of 2021, Central Statistical Office said the general downward movement in prices including fresh whole chickens, full-cream powdered milk, chive, celery, green pepper, melongene, fresh seasoning, hot pepper and pig tail.

However increases in a list of other items including whole frozen chicken and chicken parts, frozen tomatoes, flour, margarine, pimento, low-fat milk, oranges, sweet potato and various beef products offset the price decreases in other areas.