Vegetables, bananas drive up September inflation

The monthly headline inflation as measured by consumer price index for September 2023 has registered an increase by 0.7 per cent compared to 0.6 per cent registered in the previous month.

This was mainly attributed to vegetables, tubers, bananas and pulses whose inflation increased by 3.5 per cent in September from 2.9 per cent in August 2023.

“Specifically, banana (Matooke) inflation increased by 26.1 per cent in September from 7.1 per cent in the previous month, mangoes inflation increased by 48.4 per cent in September from 33.3 per cent, irish potatoes inflation increased by 7 per cent from an 8 per cent drop and sweet potatoes inflation increased by 5.5 per cent compared to 6.4 percent drop in August 2023,” the index shows.

Aliziki K. Lubega, the director for macroeconomics statistics at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) noted that monthly core inflation rose by 0.3 per cent in September from 0.2 percent rise recorded in August.

“This was mainly due to monthly services inflation that recorded 0.5 percent rise in September from 0.2 percent rise recorded in August 2023. In addition, other goods inflation recorded 0.2 percent in September as same rate recorded in August previous month,” she said on Friday.

According to her, monthly energy fuel and utilities rose by 1.7 per cent in September compared to a 1.1 per cent rise last month.

This was mainly attributed to liquid fuels inflation that increased by 5.3 per cent in September from a 0.1 per cent drop recorded in August.

Specifically, diesel inflation increased by 3.4 per cent from 0.6 per cent last month in addition petrol inflation which increased by 8.4 per cent in September compared to 0.0 per cent recorded the in last month.

However, monthly solid energy fuels inflation decreased by 0.4 per cent in September from the 3.9 per cent rise registered in August 2023.