KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures headline inflation, increased 1.3 per cent year-on-year to 122.4 in February 2020 compared to 120.8 in the same month last year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said.

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the expansion in the overall index was driven by the indices of miscellaneous goods and services (2.5 per cent), transport (2.4 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (1.6 per cent) and communication (1.5 per cent).

"On a monthly basis, the CPI remained unchanged at 122.4 compared to January 2020,” he said in a statement today.

He said the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages was up 0.8 per cent in February 2020 against the same month of the previous year, contributed by the subgroups of vegetables (6.3 per cent), food products not elsewhere classified (2.1 per cent) and rice, bread and other cereals (0.7 per cent).

"Among the indices of goods which recorded price increases in most states were small onions (33.8 per cent), garlic (33.4 per cent) and big onions (21.8 per cent),” he said.

He added that four states surpassed the national CPI rate of 1.3 per cent year-on-year in February 2020, namely Selangor and Putrajaya (1.6 per cent), Kuala Lumpur (1.5 per cent), Pahang (1.5 per cent ) and Johor (1.4 per cent). — Bernama