The inflation in April this year increased to 2.49 per cent. The inflation has been on slight rise compared to the same month last year. This is according to the Consumer Price Index report by the National Statistics Bureau. The increase was mainly driven by rising food prices, while non-food prices fell during the year.
The uptick in inflation was primarily due to rising food prices, which increased by nearly six per cent.
Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by more than seven per cent.
Meanwhile, prices for alcoholic beverages and betel nuts dropped by about half a per cent.
While food prices went up, non-food prices declined by about one per cent, mainly due to a sharp seven per cent decline in transport costs.
However, not all non-food items became cheaper. Communication services saw a notable increase of nearly eight per cent, while clothing and footwear rose by about seven per cent.
The CPI tracks changes in the prices of goods and services over time, based on household expenditure data.
Prices of both food and non-food items increased compared to March this year.
This upward trend was seen across all major regions. The Central region recorded the highest increase at 0.63 per cent, followed by the Eastern and Western regions at 0.59 per cent each. The capital saw a rise of 0.44 per cent.
Meanwhile, the purchasing power of Ngultrum has also declined. A Nu 100 note in April had around the same value as a Nu 54.20 did in 2012.
Kinley Bidha
Edited by Tshering Zam
