Malaysia's inflation rises 2.2 pct on higher food prices in March

Malaysia's consumer price index (CPI) in March increased 2.2 percent from a year ago, surpassing the average inflation of 1.9 percent for the period January 2011 to March 2022, official data showed Friday.

The four percent increase in food inflation, which is the largest component of the overall weight of CPI, remained to be a major contributor to inflation in March, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement.

This was followed by furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance which grew three percent; restaurants and hotels which climbed 2.9 percent and transport which expanded 2.6 percent.

According to the DOSM, the CPI for the first quarter of 2022 rose 2.2 percent as compared to the same quarter of the preceding year.

On a monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.3 percent as compared to February.

Meanwhile, core inflation, which measures changes in the prices of all goods and services excluding volatile items of fresh food as well as administered prices of goods by the government, grew two percent in March as compared to the same month of the previous year.