February inflation: prices of clothing, footwear, transport down in Georgia

Prices of clothing, footwear and transport decreased month-on-month across Georgia in February, the National Statistics Office said on Monday in its update of inflation-related figures.

Prices for clothing and footwear decreased by 4.6 percent, with the Office noting they were lower for both footwear (-8.3 percent) and clothing (-3.3 percent).

The cost of transport decreased by one percent, while within the group, prices decreased for operation of personal transport (-1.7 percent) and purchase of vehicles (-0.5 percent). At the same time, prices increased for transport services (0.9 percent).

Last month, prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased by 1.9 percent, contributing 0.13 percentage points to the overall monthly inflation rate. Within the group, the prices were higher mainly for alcoholic beverages (3.3 percent).

The body said prices for furnishings, household equipment and maintenance also increased by 1.4 percent, with the specific breakdown as follows:

• Glassware, tableware and household utensils (2.7 percent)
• Furniture and furnishings, carpets and other floor coverings (2.1 percent)
• Goods and services for routine household maintenance (1.5 percent)

At the same time, prices decreased for household textiles by 1.7 percent, the Office said.

Healthcare costs increased by 0.8 percent in February. The prices were higher for medical products, appliances and equipment (1.2 percent), and outpatient services (0.4 percent).

Overall, the consumer price index in February decreased by 0.04 percent compared to the previous month, while the annual inflation rate amounted to 0.3 percent.

The annual inflation rate was mainly influenced by price changes for transport (+4.8 percent), miscellaneous goods and services (+8.6 percent), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (+5.5 percent), and food and non-alcoholic beverages (-3.5 percent). 

Figures also decreased for oils and fats (-18.7 percent), vegetables (-14.2 percent), bread and cereals (-9.8 percent), milk, cheese and eggs (-5 percent), but increased for fruit and grapes (21 percent), meat (4.5 percent), mineral waters, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices (4.1 percent), sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery (2 percent), coffee, tea and cocoa (1.8 percent), fish (1.6 percent).