The annual rate of inflation has increased to 7.7 per cent for April, 2019, mainly triggered by bread and cereal price increases, Central Statistical Office (CSO) data shows.

Announcing Zambia’s annual rate of inflation for this month, CSO acting director of census and statistics Goodson Sinyenga said that bread and cereal price increases had been the main contributing factors in pushing up inflation to 7.7 per cent for April from 7.5 per cent recorded last month.

“The year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the all items Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April, 2019, increased to 7.7 per cent from 7.5 recorded in March, 2019.This means that on average, prices of goods and services increased by 7.7 per cent between April, 2018, and April, 2019,” Sinyenga told journalists in Lusaka, Thursday.

“The increase in the annual rate of inflation was mainly attributed to price increase in bread and cereals (breakfast meal, roller meal and maize grain); meat products, such as fillet steak, brisket, pork chops, and live chicken and; purchase of vehicles.”

He explained that food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed a larger proportion of the annual rate of inflation for this month.

“Of the total 7.7 per cent annual inflation rate recorded in April, 2019, food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 4.4 percentage points, while non-food items accounted for a total of 3.3 percentage points. Of the 3.3 percentage points, transport contributed the highest at 0.9 percentage point followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels that contributed 0.7, communication and; restaurant and hotels accounted for the least at 0.0 percentage points each,” stated Sinyenga.