The CPI in the first half of 2017 rose 4.15 percent compared to the same period last year (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The consumer price index (CPI) in the first half of 2017 rose 4.15 percent compared to the same period last year, head of the Price Statistics Department under the General Statistics Office Vu Thi Thu Thuy reported at a press conference in Hanoi on June 29.
Slight price increases were seen in eight out of the 11 commodity baskets, including housing and construction material (0.53 percent); culture, entertainment and tourism (0.19 percent); and beverages and tobacco (0.1 percent).
Price hikes were also reported in education (0.09 percent); equipment and household commodities (0.08 percent); garment-textile, footwear (0.05 percent); goods and other services (0.05 percent); and medicine and health care services (0.01 percent).
The remaining groups, including restaurant services, transport, post and telecommunications, saw respective decreases of 0.59 percent, 0.71 percent and 0.01 percent.
The growth of the CPI was attributed to the price hike in health care services and tuition fees, Thuy said.
Soaring prices in beverages, tobacco, and garments during the Lunar New Year (Tet) also contributed to the rise of the six-month index.
During the period, core inflation (the CPI without food and fresh foodstuff, energy and State-controlled commodities such as healthcare and education services) reached 1.52 percent, below the yearly plan of 1.6-1.8 percent.-VNA
VNA
