Prices Statistics

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updated on: April 30^th 2008

Colombo Consumers' Price Index

The CCPI compiled each month is the principal measure used to record changes in the average level of retail prices paid by consumers for goods and services in Colombo City. The CCPI is the country’s official cost of living component of the wages of both the government and private sector employees and to measure the rate of inflation. The weighting pattern used in the index is based on the average expenditure of a sample of 455 working class households as ascertained in the Colombo Family Budget Survey 1949/50, and revalued at 1952 prices. The indices with sub groups components and the rate of inflation for the period from January 2000 to November 2007, monthly

COLOMBO CONSUMERS' PRICE INDEX FOR April, 2008

The Consumers’ Price Index of the Colombo City (CCPI) for all items of this year’s month of April was posted at 6527.1 index points. An increase of 85.4 index point change or 1.3 percentage was noted from the March 2008 posted at 6441.7 index points. This is an increase of Rs. 172.76 in the expenditure value of “Market Basket“ when compared to March 2008.

Price in Food exhibited the highest positive index point change of 84.8 and Index for Clothing and Miscellaneous also recorded the positive index point changes of 0.4 and 0.3 respectively. The increase in the CCPI for April, 2008 is mainly due to an increase in prices of Rice, Lactogen, Salt, Red onions, Coconut Oil, most varieties of Fresh Fish and Dried Fish, Coconuts, Eggs and most varieties of Vegetables.

These price increases can be mainly attributed to higher demand of consumer goods, specially the Vegetables, Fish and Coconuts due to festive season.

However, prices of Sugar, Dried Chillies, Limes, Cowpea Whole and Potatoes have decreased during this month.

The year-on-year (point to point) inflation rate of the Colombo city for the month of April, 2008 was recorded 29.9%, higher by 1.8% compared to previous month.

Annual inflation rate for the month of April (12 months moving average) was registered 20.0, higher by 2.6 percentage point compared to its same period last year’s April level of 17.4 percent.

· The table below explains the composition of the increase of 1.33%. It should be noted that in this basket, certain items play a more significant part than the others, depending on the weight of the household consumption.

· Of the total increase of 1.33%, Food items account for an increase of 1.32% mainly due to an increase in the prices of Vegetables(0.66%), Fresh Fish(0.25%) and Dried Fish (0.14%) There is an increase of 0.01% on account of Clothing.

Increase in percentage contribution to CCPI from March 2008 to April 2008.

Sub Group/Commodity	% Increase	% Decrease
Food	1.32
Rice	0.07
Lactogen	0.04
Red Onions	0.02
Coconut Oil	0.04
Fresh Fish	0.25
Dried Fish	0.14
Coconuts	0.04
Eggs	0.03
Vegetables	0.66
Sugar		0.03
Dried Chillies		0.01
Limes		0.01
Cowpea Whole		0.01
Potatoes		0.02
Others	0.11
Clothing	0.01
Total	1.33%

Source : Prices and Wages Division,

Department of Census & Statistics.

Source: Department of Census and Statistics
Prices and Wages Division,
104A, Kithulwatta Road,
Colombo 8.

Bulletin of Price Statistics

STATISTICAL TABLES ON CCPI

	Colombo Consumer's Price Index (Based year 1952 = 100)
	Movements of the current CCPI
	All Items Index and Rate of Increase annually, 1952-2005. Colombo Consumer's Price Index (Base year 1952 = 100)
	Movements of the current CCPI & SLCPI

Department of Census and Statistics

P O Box 563, Colombo, Sri Lanka - Telephone: +94 112675297, Fax: 2697594 - Email:information@statistics.gov.lk