August CPI up by 2.0 per cent year-on-year

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 2.0 per cent yearon-year in August 2021 to 122.5 per cent from 120.1 in August 2020, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) yesterday.

The CPI recorded an increase for the seventh consecutive month since February 2021 due to the low base effect.

Commenting on the report, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the transport group continued to record a double-digit increase since March, expanding by 11 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) in August 2021.

In a statement, he noted that the food and non-alcoholic beverages index rose by 1.2 per cent y-o-y, and the index for food away from home increased by 1.0 per cent y-o-y.

“Meanwhile, the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels index registered a marginal increase of 0.6 per cent y-o-y,” he said.

Mohd Uzir said that other groups which recorded an increase were the furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (1.7 per cent yo-y); recreation services and culture (0.7 per cent y-o-y) and restaurants and hotels (0.6 per cent y-o-y).

The communications and education indices remained unchanged, while the health index marginally increased by 0.3 per cent y-o-y, he said.

During the month under review, the alcoholic beverages and tobacco index increased 0.4 per cent y-o-y, while the clothing and footwear index and the miscellaneous goods and services index declined by 0.4 per cent and 0.6 per cent, respectively.

He also noted that CPI for the period of January to August 2021 increased 2.3 per cent y-o-y.

On a monthly basis, CPI remained unchanged compared to July 2021.

According to DoSM, the food and non-alcoholic beverages index and the housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels index had increased by 0.1 per cent month-on-month (m-o-m), respectively.

The setting of maximum retail prices for pure palm cooking oil in bottled packaging by the government effective Aug 1, 2021, had slightly eased the inflation of subgroup oils and fats to -0.4 per cent from 0.2 per cent in July 2021.

Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said the core index – which encompasses all goods and services except volatile items of fresh food as well as administered prices – rose by 0.6 per cent y-o-y in August 2021.

The major groups which influenced the increase were furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (1.7 per cent); transport (0.7 per cent); recreation services and culture (0.7 per cent); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.6 per cent); restaurants and hotels (0.6 per cent) and health (0.3 per cent).

“The CPI without fuel – which covers all goods and services except unleaded petrol RON95, unleaded petrol RON97 and diesel – increased 0.5 per cent y-o-y in August 2021 to 113.2,” said the chief statistician.

He also highlighted that several states had surpassed the national CPI rate of 2.0 per cent in August, namely Terengganu (2.6 per cent), Sarawak (2.4 per cent), Pahang (2.4 per cent), Kelantan (2.4 per cent), Perak (2.1 per cent), Kedah (2.1 per cent) and Perlis (2.1 per cent).

Meanwhile, the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels index registered a marginal increase of 0.6 per cent y-o-y.

Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin