The Statistical Center of Iran has released a new report, reviewing price changes in 53 food items during the month ending Jan. 19, the 10th month of the current Iranian year (to end March 20).
The biggest month-on-month price rise for a food item in urban areas during the month under review was recorded for bananas with 21.1%. A kilogram of bananas was sold at 334,978 rials ($1.4).
The second and third biggest month-on-month price increase was registered for eggs with 17.6% and cucumbers with 15.6%, the Statistical Center of Iran reported.
A kilogram of eggs was sold at 224,330 rials (93 cents) and a kilogram of cucumbers went for 104,202 rials (43 cents) last month.
Ten out of 53 food items examined by SCI registered a price decline in the 10th Iranian month (Dec. 21, 2020-Jan. 19) compared with the month before.
Chicken with 23%, tomatoes with 16.6% and bell peppers with 14.5% were top items experiencing month-on-month deflations.
A kilogram of chicken was sold at 210,350 rials (87 cents), a kilogram of tomatoes went for 81,954 rials (34 cents) and a kilogram of bell peppers was sold at 115,205 rials (48 cents).
Compared with the same month of the year before, the retail price of oranges increased by 164.2%, registering the highest year-on-year price rise for a food item. A kilogram of oranges was sold at 139,930 rials (58 cents).
The second and third biggest year-on-year price rise was registered for lentils with 159.5% and imported rice with 148.7%. A kilogram of lentils was sold at 286,288 rials ($1.2) and a kilogram of imported rice went for 237,250 rials ($1).
Year-on-year price deflation was registered for only one item: tomato with 1%.
With a coefficient of 26.64%, the CPI of food and beverages for all Iranian households stood at 358.3 in the month ending Jan. 19, indicating a 0.9% increase compared with the month before. The food and beverages index registered a year-on-year increase of 60%.
The CPI of food and beverages group increased by 30.8% in the 12-month period ending Jan. 19 compared with last year’s corresponding period.
Consumer Price Index Up 32.2%
The overall average goods and services Consumer Price Index in the 12-month period leading to the 10th Iranian month, increased by 32.2% compared with the corresponding period of last year.
SCI had put the average annual inflation rate for the preceding Iranian month, which ended on Dec. 20, at 30.5%.
The consumer inflation for the month under review (Dec. 21, 2020-Jan. 19) registered an increase of 46.2% compared with the similar month of the previous Iranian year. The year-on-year inflation of the month ending Dec. 20 was 44.8%.
The overall CPI (using the Iranian year to March 2017 as the base year) stood at 285.7, indicating a 1.8% rise compared with the month before. Month-on-month consumer inflation was 2% for the preceding month.
SCI put average annual inflation for urban and rural areas at 32.2% and 32.5%, respectively.
The CPI registered a year-on-year increase of 45.5% for urban areas and 49.8% for rural areas in the month ending Jan. 19.
The overall CPI reached 282.9 for urban households and 301.3 for rural households, indicating a month-on-month increase of 1.9% and 1.7% for urban and rural areas, respectively.
The highest and lowest monthly growth in the index among 12 groups of the basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households in the Iranian month ending Jan. 19 were recorded for “furniture, home appliances and their maintenance” with 4.2% and “communications” with 0.1%, respectively.
The highest and lowest year-on-year inflation in the month under review was posted for furniture, home appliances and their maintenance (64.1%) and education (21.6%), and the highest and lowest annual inflation was registered for transportation (65.4%) and communications (13.6%) respectively.
The 12 groups of the basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households surveyed by SCI include "food and beverage" with a coefficient of 26.64%, "tobacco" with a coefficient of 0.59%, "clothing and shoes" with a coefficient of 4.78%, "housing, water, electricity, natural gas and other fuels" with a coefficient of 35.5% (highest), "furniture, home appliances and their maintenance" with a coefficient of 3.93%, "health and treatment" with a coefficient of 7.14%, "transportation" with a coefficient of 9.41%, "communications" with a coefficient of 2.87%, "leisure and culture" with a coefficient of 1.65%, "education" with a coefficient of 1.86%, "hotels and restaurants" with a coefficient of 1.44%, and "miscellaneous items and services" with a coefficient of 4.18%.
