VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) recorded Indonesia’s inflation rate at 0.10 percent in March 2020 (month-on-month), so inflation for the calendar year of March 2020 reached 0.76 percent, while March 2020 annual inflation touched 2.96 percent.

"The figure is below three percent, so I can conclude that inflation in March 2020 was under control," BPS Head Suhariyanto remarked while holding a video press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Inflation occurred due to price hikes, including the prices of food, beverage, and tobacco that went up by 0.10 percent; cost of clothing and footwear that surged by 0.12 percent; housing, water, electricity, and household fuels, by 0.02 percent; and household appliances, equipment, and routine maintenance, by 0.28 percent.

However, deflation was experienced in transportation services, notably by 0.43 percent, and information, communication, and financial services, by 0.09 percent. On the other hand, education services remained unchanged.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) monitored by BPS in 90 cities indicated that 43 cities had experienced inflation, while 47 cities witnessed a deflation.

Lhokseumawe, Aceh Province, clocked the highest inflation rate, at 0.64 percent, mainly due to a sharp surge in the prices of fish and gold.

The highest deflation rate occurred in Timika, Papua Province, at minus 1.91 percent, caused by a plunge in the prices of air tickets, contributing 0.77 percent to the deflation rate. (ANTARA)