BPS: Inflation Recorded Low In September

Jakarta, Oct 1 (ANTARA) - The inflation rate has been recorded low at 0.01 in September due to declining prices. "Inflation was low as prices started to drop," the chief of the National Statistics Agency (BPS), Suryamin said, here on Monday. He said the biggest contributor to the inflation in the month was clothing products reaching 1.47 percent and education, recreation and sports at 1.07 percent. The second biggest contributor meanwhile is foods group by -0.92 percent, followed by transportation, service and financial sectors at around -0.8 percent. "Supply in the foods groups is still adequate and therefore the group contributes deflation," he said. In view of that inflation in the calendar year of January to September this year is recorded at 3.79 percent while year-on-year inflation at 4.31 percent, Suryamin said. He said the rate of inflation of core groups was recorded at 0.34 percent making the year-on-year inflation to 4.12 percent. Of the 66 Consumer Price Index cities, 21 had recorded an inflation and 45 deflation. "Pangkal Pinang suffers the highest inflation of 0.74 percent, followed by Padang at 0.54 percent and Dumai 0.01 percent," he said. Cities that record the highest deflation are Singakawang at -2.18 percent and Palu at -2.0 percent. Suryamin said the inflation in September this year was the lowest in the past five years. Inflation was recorded at 0.8 percent in September 2007, 0.97 percent in 2008, 1.05 percent in 2009, 0.44 percent in 2010 and 0.27 percent in 2011.