Year-on-year, cost of transportation rose by 3.1 percent, slowing from a 5.9 percent gain in the previous month, reflecting mainly the deceleration of fuel prices. Additional upward pressure came from: Food and non-alcoholic beverages (2.7 percent from 2.4 percent in February); miscellaneous goods and services (0.3 percent from 0.4 percent); housing and utilities (0.3 percent from 0.1 percent); restaurants and hotels (2 percent from 1.9 percent); and recreation and culture (1 percent from 0.8 percent). By contrast, cost fell for: Clothing and footwear (-1.7 percent from -1.8 percent in February); health (-0.3 percent, the same as in February) and furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house (-0.8 percent from -0.2 percent).
Annual core inflation rate, which excludes energy and unprocessed food products components, stood at 0.6 percent, unchanged from the previous month.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices jumped 1.8 percent, mainly due to higher prices for clothing and footwear.
The harmonized consumer price index increased by 1.4 percent year-on-year and by 2 percent from the previous month.