Bread and cereal account for 40 percent of food-index hike, as August sees continued rise in inflation

There seems to be no relief in sight for consumers in Antigua and
Barbuda, as an increase of more than 6 percent has been recorded
for the month of August.
 
Reports say the Year-on-Year Analysis of the Consumer Price Index
for All Items increased 6.6% for the 12 months ending August 2023.
 
The Prices and Consumer Affairs Division notes that this is a steeper
hike than the 5.0% for the 12 months ending in July 2023.
 
The index for transport was the largest contributor to the All Items
increase, accounting for 26.0%.

Also contributing to the August increase was the advancement in the
communication index, which rose for 32 consecutive months. 
 
The index for food and non-alcoholic beverages saw an increase of
3.8%, with the food index increasing 3.6% over the last 12 months.
 

It was noted that the price changes in the nine food indexes were
split, with six increases and three decreases, and with bread and
cereals rising by 9.1% — accounting for almost 40% of the food
increase.
  
The index for milk, cheese and eggs, the index says, accounted for
the second largest contribution of 22.8%.

The subcategory index of other cereals, flour and other products
increased 13.7% over the year.

However, there was some good news, as the index for vegetables
decreased 1.3% in August after increasing 9.5% in July.
 
This decline is being attributed to an 11.7% decline in the index for
fresh or chilled potatoes.
 
Another notable decrease was the index for meats and meat
products, which also declined by 1.3%. 
 
Meanwhile, the index for All Items Less Food and Energy index rose
8.6% over the past 12 months. The index for transport services rose
34.2%, and was influenced by the Passenger Transport by Air, which
rose 39.5%.
 

In the meantime, the Monthly Consumer Price Index rose 1.4% in
August 2023 after increasing 0.8% in the previous month.