ST LUCIA

 

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX

 

For The Month of May, 2006

 

 

 

PRINCIPAL CHANGES IN THE MONTH

 

FOOD

 

There were increases in the average prices of liver, chicken legs, table butter, margarine, cucumber, lettuce, green bananas, ripe bananas, oranges, grapefruits, limes, dasheen & tannia, yams, curry powder, and fine salt. There were also decreases in the average prices of salted snout, chicken backs, turkey wings, tuna fish, dolphin, cheese, cabbages, carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, breadfruit, plantain, yellow split peas, and sweet potatoes.  The decreases in this group caused the index figure to fall slightly to 199.3. This reflected a decrease of 0.3 per cent when compared to April’s figure of 199.8.

 

FUEL AND LIGHT

 

The average price for the domestic rate of electricity increased causing the index figure for this group to rise to 162.3, an increase of 2.6 per cent over April’s figure of 158.2.

 

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION:

 

For this group the index figure increased by 1.8 per cent - from 192.2 in April to 195.7 in May. This change was attributed to the increase in airfares.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT, EDUCATION & CULTURAL:

 

There was a minute decrease in the average price of textbooks under the Sub Group of Education. This caused the index figure for the group as a whole to decrease from April’s figure of 307.0 to May’s figure of 306.5.  This yielded a decrease of (0.2) per cent.

 

 

REMAINING GROUPS

 

The remaining groups remained unchanged. The Consumer Price Index for May 2006 was 192.5. This reflected a 0.1 per cent increase over April’s figure of 192.3.

 

 

 

 

 

Following are the indices for the month of May, 2006

 

basis of April 1984=100 for 3 sub-divisions of the Food Groups.

 

 

 

 

 

Item prices which are affected by import prices:-

 

          Salted snout, liver, chicken legs, chicken backs, salt,

 

          cheese, table butter, margarine, yellow split peas,

 

           turkey wings and curry powder…………………………………………

152.13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item prices which are affected by seasonal variations:-

 

           Cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, pumpkin, tomatoes,

 

            lettuce, breadfruit, green bananas, plantain, limes,

 

            ripe bananas, oranges, grapefruits, sweet potatoes,

 

            dasheen & tannia and yams …………………………..

350.84

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other items………….…...…………………….....………………

225.44

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALL ITEM INDEX

 

 

 

% Change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POINT TO POINT

POINT TO POINT

AVERAGE

 

MAY 2005

JANUARY 2006

JANUARY TO MAY

 

MAY 2006

MAY 2006

2006/2005

 

 

 

 

 

2.7

0.5

3.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Inflation

Based On the CPI Basket of Household Goods and Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year

 

 

Beverage

Clothing

 

Fuel

Furnishings

Medical

Transport

Entertain

Misc.

 

ALL

Food

And

And

Housing

And

Household

Care &

And

Education

Goods &

 

Items

 

Tobacco

Footwear

 

Light

Equipment

Health

Comm.

& Culture

Services

2002

-0.3

-1.2

2.6

0

0

-1.6

-1.2

4.6

3.7

-0.1

0.6

2003

1.0

2.1

1.4

0.0

0.0

3.0

-0.6

-1.5

0.7

-0.3

-0.3

2004

1.5

0.9

0.1

5.0

0.0

3.5

4.2

5.3

-1.7

1.0

2.0

2005

3.9

7.1

1.5

0.0

0.0

7.7

0.0

0.3

3.0

0.9

0.9

May.2006

3.8

6.2

1.8

0

0.1

6.9

0.0

5.5

5.1

1.1

0.9