Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The Belgian Statistics Office said today, Thursday, that inflation rates rose in March, from 6.62% to 6.67%. The consumer price index also rose by 0.72 points, or 0.57%, this month. According to the figures published by the office in a statement, a copy of which we received via e-mail, food price inflation has risen sharply in recent months. Food price inflation (including alcoholic beverages) was 17.02% this month, compared to 16.12% in February. Food's contribution to inflation is currently 3.12 percentage points.
The statement also stated that the core inflation rate, which does not take into account the evolution of prices of energy products and unprocessed foodstuffs, was 8.57% in March, compared to 8.28% in February. This is a result of increased inflation for processed foods and services.
The statement of the Belgian Statistics Office dealt with the most important price increases in the month of March, and said that they related to fruits, electricity, personal care, vegetables, sweets, travel abroad, bread, cereals, restaurants, cafes, and non-alcoholic drinks.