Press Release

Issued by : Department of Census and Statistics

Date
: 2014.01.31
Movements in Colombo Consumers Price Index (Base: 2006/07=100)

January 2014
Price index: The general price level increased in January 2014 compared to the prices in the
previous month. The Colombo Consumers Price Index (base: 2006/07=100) for all items for
January was 177.5 as announced by the Prices Division of the Department of Census and Statistics.
An increase of 1.0 index point or 0.55 percentage was noted in January 2014 from December 2013
index which was 177.5. This increase represents expenditure value of Rs. 270.84 in the Market
Basket.
Table 1-MonthlyChanges
Index Number

Major Group
Jan.
2013

Monthly
changes of the Expenditure
Values (Rs.)

Monthly
changes of the Index (%)

Jan.
2013

Jan.
2013

Dec.
2013

Jan.
2014

170.0

176.5

177.5

385.41

16.50

270.84

0.82

0.03

0.55

Food..

192.6

196.8

195.1

285.49

-27.04

-194.35

0.61

-0.05

-0.39

Housing, Water, Electricity,

Gas and other Fuels

140.1

156.2

156.3

43.86

5.33

3.23

0.09

0.01

0.01

Furnishings, Household
Equipments and Routine
Household maintenance

147.4

148.9

150.0

0.00

0.57

10.37

0.00

0.00

0.02

Health

250.7

252.3

272.4

1.91

0.00

177.36

0.00

0.00

0.45

Transport

188.3

192.9

199.3

53.70

35.72

222.07

0.11

0.07

0.10

90.3

90.3

93.8

0.00

0.00

47.26

0.00

0.00

0.00

143.5

143.8

0.00

1.48

2.86

0.00

0.00

0.01

99.6

99.7

0.45

0.44

2.04

0.00

0.00

0.00

All Items.

Communication
Miscellaneous Goods and
Services

Other

139.2

98.5

Dec.
2013

Jan.
2014

Dec.
2013

Jan.
2014

Month on Month (MoM)

The most varieties of Rice, Chicken, Fish & Sea food and papaw, have increased slightly due to
less supply during the month of January 2014. However, the food items that experienced
decreases in prices were Potatoes Red Onions, B.Onion, Green Chilies , Limes, Garlic, Pineapple
and Mangoes. On average, expenditure value on items in Food group decreased by Rs. 194.35
(see Table 1).

Of the total increase of 0.55 percent, Food items account for an decrease of 0.39 percent mainly
due to Potatoes (0.10%), Red Onion (0.21%), B. Onion ( 0.20%) , Green Chillies 0.02%) and
Limes (0.16%). However, price increases were experienced in, Rice (0.18%), Chicken (0.02%),
Fish & Sea Food (0.10%), and Papaw (0.02%),
During this month, price decrease was noticed in sub category of Food & Non Alcoholic
Beverages. The sub groups of Transport, Housing Water Electricity Gas & Other Fuels
Furnishing Household Equipment & Routine household maintenance, Communication and
Health showed an increase. The sub categories of Clothing & Footwear, and Miscellaneous
Goods & Services showed an insignificant increases during the period. The sub groups of
Education and Recreation & Culture remained unchanged during the period under reference.
Table 2: Contribution to the increase in CCPI from December 2013 to January 2014
(Base: 2006/07=100)

Sub Group/Commodity

Food
Rice
Fresh Fish
Dried Fish
Papaw
Vegetables
Chicken
Potatoes
Red Onion
B.Onion
Garlic
Green chillies
Limes
Other

Non Food
Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and
Other Fuels
Furnishing and Household Equipment
and Routine household maintenance
Health
Transport
Communication
Miscellaneous Goods and Services

Others
Total

Value Change
Rs.cts.

Increase
%

Decrease
%

-194.35

0.43

89.91
49.54
-30.84
9.50
-30.28
10.43
-47.90
-102.62
-97.02
-4.91
-10.18
-77.41
47.43

0.18
0.10

465.20

0.94

3.23

0.01

10.37

0.02

177.36

0.36

222.07

0.45

47.26

0.10

2.86

0.01

2.04

0.00

0.82

Net effect
%
-0.39

0.06
0.02
0.06
0.02
0.10
0.21
0.20
0.01
0.02
0.16
0.11

0.00

0.94

0.55

Year on Year (YoY)

The rate of inflation as measured by the CCPI on a YoY basis significantly decreased to 4.4 percent
in January2014 (see Table 3). It is worthwhile to mention that, the year on year inflation has been
registered as one digit figure for 60 months continuously.
On year to year basis, the highest contribution to the overall increase of around 86 percent came
from nonfood commodities which increased by 4 percent in January 2014. The combined effects of
both domestically produced and imported food commodities contributed to the increase in the food
sub Index (see Table 4).
Among the food commodities, rice, vegetables and fish and sea food which have substantial weights
in the CCPI basket recorded price decreases on year to year basis. Under the Non Food category,
the prices of Diesel rose by 3%. Kerosene Oil ,Petrol and Gas remain unchanged during the
reference period.
Annual Inflation Rate
The annual average inflation rate, decreased to 6.5 percent in the month of January 2014.
Table 3: MOVEMENTS OF THE CCPI
(Base: 2006/07=100)
All Item
Index
Number
Year

2014

Inflation

%Change

Non Food
Inflation

%Change

Inflation

%Change

Month
All
Item

2013

Food

Month
to
Month

Y on
Y

12
Month
Moving
Avg.

Month
to
Month

Y on
Y

12
Month
Moving
Avg.

Month
to
Month

Y on Y

12
Month
Moving
Avg.

January

170.0

0.8%

9.8%

8.1%

1.3%

10.8%

5.7%

0.4%

9.0%

10.2%

February

170.7

0.4%

9.8%

8.6%

0.6%

12.9%

7.1%

0.2%

7.2%

10.0%

March

170.8

0.1%

7.5%

8.8%

-0.2%

12.6%

8.4%

0.3%

3.5%

9.2%

April

170.0

-0.5%

6.4%

8.8%

-1.4%

9.9%

9.2%

0.4%

3.6%

8.5%

May

173.9

2.3%

7.3%

8.8%

0.6%

7.9%

9.7%

3.7%

6.8%

8.1%

June

176.5

1.5%

6.8%

8.6%

3.2%

7.3%

9.7%

0.0%

6.4%

7.7%

July

176.8

0.2%

6.1%

8.3%

0.2%

5.8%

9.3%

0.1%

6.3%

7.4%

August

176.2

-0.3%

6.3%

8.0%

-0.8%

6.0%

9.0%

0.1%

6.6%

7.2%

September

175.8

-0.2%

6.2%

7.8%

-0.5%

5.9%

8.8%

0.1%

6.5%

7.0%

October

176.1

0.2%

6.7%

7.6%

0.3%

7.6%

8.7%

0.0%

5.9%

6.7%

November

176.5

0.2%

5.6%

7.3%

0.3%

5.3%

8.3%

0.2%

5.8%

6.4%

December

176.5

0.0%

4.7%

6.9%

-0.1%

3.5%

7.9%

0.1%

5.6%

6.1%

January

177.5

0.6%

4.4%

6.5%

-0.9%

1.3%

7.1%

1.7%

7.1%

5.9%

In Colombo District, YoY inflation for Food decreased by 2.2 percent in January 2014while
inflation for Non Food increased by 1.5 percent when compared with month of December 2013.

YoY

Table 4 : Monthly Average Open Market Retail Prices of Selected Items Colombo
(2013 December 2014 January)
Item

Rice Kekulu Red

Rice Kekulu White
Rice Nadu
Rice Samba
Cowpea
Green Grams
Coconut
Coconut Oil
Chicken
Eggs
Red onion
B onion
Potatoes
Garlic
Dried chillies
Sugar
Pepper
VegetablesAsh plantain
Carrot
Snake gourd
Tomatoes
Capsicum
Beetroot
Beans
Banana
Papaw
Mangoes

Unit

2013
Jan.

2013
Dec.

2014
Jan.

60.56
59.87
61.93

60.12
59.92
62.94

63.33
63.67
65.92

5.34
6.25
4.73

4.58
6.35
6.43

74.26
279.51
283.86
34.48
180.65

71.85
278.32
297.43
43.29
218.99

75.02
288.37
303.52
43.30
219.54

4.42
3.61
2.05
0.03
0.25

1.03
3.17
6.93
25.61
21.53

408.43
12.64
169.32
95.69

396.88
14.01
246.91
141.38

402.15
14.10
159.37
102.28

1.33
0.68
-35.46
-27.66

-1.54
11.61
-5.88
6.88

92.46
267.00
225.86
102.78
1278.89

133.71
227.48
226.12
102.28
1290.91

108.66
214.42
226.80
102.68
1342.63

-18.73
-5.74
0.30
0.39
4.01

17.52
-19.69
0.41
-0.10
4.98

Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

125.95
199.44
124.06
142.45

103.94
99.99
97.83
86.47

100.40
107.06
95.00
87.72

-3.41
7.06
-2.89
1.44

-20.29
-46.32
-23.42
-38.42

299.41
173.08
199.52

237.31
103.58
166.10

191.45
107.43
147.56

-19.33
3.72
-11.16

-36.06
-37.93
-26.04

Each
Kg

11.15
73.13

11.04
62.95

10.95
67.17

-0.75
6.71

-1.74
-12.91

Each

60.85

51.63

50.63

-1.94

-16.79

Kg
Kg
Kg

1154.85
842.63
800.76

1062.90
759.83
723.88

1190.84
776.73
762.24

12.04
2.22
5.30

3.12
-7.82
-4.81

Kg
Kg

1000.01
538.57

1002.09
642.29

1013.70
556.66

1.16
-11.77

1.37
5.22

106.00

106.00

106.00

0.00

0.00

162.00
118.00
2396.00
2396.00
2396.00

162.00
121.00
2396.00
2396.00
2396.00

162.00
121.00
2396.00
2396.00
2396.00

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

0.00
2.54
0.00
0.00
0.00

Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Each
750ml
Kg
Each
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

% change
Jan.14/Dec.13

Jan.14/Jan.13

Fresh Fish
Seer
Talapath
Paraw
Dried Fish Katta
Spratts

Kerosene Oil
Lt
Lt
Petrol(CPC & IOC Avg.)
Lt
Diesel (CPC & IOC Avg.)
Gas- Avg.
12.5kg
Shell\Litro
12.5kg
Laughs
12.5kg
Source : Prices and Wages Division,
Department of Census & Statistics,
104A, Kitulwatta Road,
Colombo 8.

Call : 94-11-2676196
Fax : 94-11-2676198
Email :prices@statistics.gov.lk
Web Site :www.statistics.gov.lk