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Monday, March 19, 1973
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR FEBRUARY
Higher Prices For Foodstuffs Shown
Higher prices for foodstuffs, durable goods, alcoholic drink and
tobacco, as well as for services, have forced up the General Consumer Price
index for February, by eight points to 152.
Announcing this today, a spokesman for the Census and Statistics
Department said that the index for foodstuffs increased by 14 points, that
for durable goods by four, while the index for alcoholic drink and tobacco
went up by three points. A two-point increase was recorded for services.
Compared with January, the average retail prices of rice, bread and
cakes, fresh water fish, pork, beef, poultry, fresh vegetables and fruits,
and other meat had increased considerably, he said, as a result of generally
reduced supplies and heavier demand during the Lunar New Year Festival period.
The only exception were eggs, the average retail price of which
dropped due to adequate supplies from China and other countries.
He said the average retail prices of rice and fresh vegetables had
risen by 18 per cent, while those for poultry and pork had increased by 17 per
cent and 10 per cent respectively.
These increases were due to an upward movement in the wholesale prices
of rice caused by higher import prices and importers' speculation on future
supplies from the major rice-producing countries.
Supplies of fresh vegetables from China and local sources went down
by 31 per cent and 21 per cent respectively compared with the supply figures
for January.
/Poultry