Mauritius month-on-month prices up 0.7 percent
Mauritius' annual inflation rate rose for the eighth consecutive month in February, pushed higher by food and transport costs.
Average annual inflation rose to 3.6 percent from 3.3 percent in January and from 2.1 percent a year earlier, official data showed on Tuesday.
The Central Statistics Office said the month-on-month increase in consumer prices last month was 0.7 percent, driven by a 1.2 percent rise in the food and non alcoholic beverage index and a 2.2 percent rise in the transport index as gasoline and diesel prices rose.
Last month, Central Bank Governor Rundheersing Bheenick said inflation was likely to rise further, reinforcing speculation that interest rates may rise at the bank's March meeting.
On Monday, Mauritius appointed an advisory committee to make recommendations to the government on pricing policies and strategies to be adopted regarding imported and locally manufactured essential commodities.
"In a crisis situation, we need to find solutions rapidly to stabilise prices and to ensure that there is no shortage of basic products in the country," Trade and Industry Minister Showkutally Soodhun said in a statement on Monday.
