Sri Lanka nation-wide inflation accelerates to 5-pct in October

Nov 21, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s consumer prices as measured by National Consumer Price Index rose to 5.0 percent in October from the 4.7 percent reported a month ago, data from the state statistics office showed. The National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) for the month of October 2016 has been calculated as 114.7. In October 2016 compared to October 2015, the expenditure value of food group and non food group have increased by 2.3 percent and 2.8 percent respectively. The increase in expenditure value of food commodity in October was due to the price increases in rice, coconut, limes, vegetables, dried fish, coconut oil, pineapple, banana, sugar, dhal-masoor, red onions, garlic, wheat flour and chicken. The value increase of non-food commodity 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’.