February 10 (SeeNews) - Moldova's consumer prices rose by 6.85% year-on-year in January, compared to a 7.5% increase in the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics, BNS, said on Monday.
The main inflation driver in January were food prices, which added 11.2% year-on-year, BNS said in a statement.
Prices of non-food products rose by 3.78% on the year in January, while the cost of services increased by 4.05%.
Month-on-month, Moldova's consumer prices added by 0.63% in January. Food prices grew by 0.97%, while non-food prices edged up by 0.19%. Consumer prices in the services sector rose by 0.74% month-on-month.
Moldova’s central bank, BNM, lowered its 2020 inflation projection to 5.1% in its latest report issued in February, from 5.9% predicted in November. In 2021, consumer prices are expected to rise by 3.6%.
On January 29, BNM decided to maintain its key rate at 5.5%, aiming to keep inflation close to the target level.
(1 euro = 19.1718 Moldovan lei)