Stats Dept: Malaysia’s Sept CPI up 2.2pc

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Malaysia’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 2.2 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to 122.8 per cent in September 2021 from 120.1 in the same month last year, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) today.

The CPI recorded an increase for the eighth consecutive month since February 2021 due to the low base effect.

Commenting on the report, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the transport group continued to record a double-digit increase since March, expanding 11.0 per cent y-o-y in September 2021.

He said food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 1.9 per cent and the highest increase was recorded by meat with 5.8 per cent, mainly due to the increase in the average price of chicken in September 2021 to RM9.35 per kilogramme (kg) as compared with RM8.50 per kg in September 2020.

“Additionally, the subgroup of fish and seafood went up by 3.5 per cent, mainly attributed by the increase in average prices of Indian Mackerel to RM15.60,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Uzir said furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance increased 1.7 per cent, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.7 per cent) and recreation services and culture (0.6 per cent).

Both restaurants and hotels and health grew 0.3 per cent, while alcoholic beverages and tobacco inclined 0.4 per cent, he said, adding communication remained unchanged while both clothing and footwear and miscellaneous goods and services contracted by 0.5 per cent, while education declined 0.1 per cent y-o-y.

Mohd Uzir said the CPI for the third quarter of 2021 inclined 2.2 per cent to 122.6 from 120.0 in the same quarter of the preceding year.

“On a month-to-month comparison, the CPI increased 0.2 per cent as compared to August 2021.

“The increase was attributed by food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.6 per cent); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.1 per cent) and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.1 per cent),” he said.

Meanwhile, the CPI without fuel increased 0.8 per cent in September 2021 to 113.4 as compared to 112.5 in the same month of the preceding year, he added.

CPI without fuel covers all goods and services except Unleaded Petrol RON95, Unleaded Petrol RON97, and Diesel. 

He also highlighted that all states recorded an increase in the CPI in September 2021.

“Eight states, namely Terengganu (3.1 per cent), Pahang (2.8 per cent), Kelantan (2.8 per cent), Sarawak (2.5 per cent), Perak (2.5 per cent), Johor (2.4 per cent), Kedah and Perlis (2.4 per cent), and Melaka (2.3 per cent) surpassed the national CPI rate of 2.2 per cent in September 2021,” he added. — Bernama