Avocados, pigeon peas, oranges and bananas, among the foods with the highest increases in April

Santo Domingo, DR

According to Central Bank statistics, among the groups with the highest incidence in the growth of the April 2021 price index were food and non-alcoholic beverages, with an increase of 0.56%. This variation is explained by the rise in prices of avocados (18.28%), oranges (11.13%), green pigeon peas (8.87%), cassava (2.80%), and green plantains (1.78%).

Other foods that showed price increases were soybean oil (1.69%), pork (0.99%), rice (0.74%), and salami (0.71%), while other products registered decreases, such as eggs (-3.40%), onions (-3.97%), fresh chicken (-0.31%) and garlic (-4.17%).

This incidence of food and non-alcoholic beverages is reflected in the consumer price index (CPI) for April, which stood at 0.41%, the lowest rate in the first four months of the year compared to 0.97%, 0.68%, and 0.60% in January, February and March, respectively.

Another group that experienced an increase in the Central Bank’s CPI was Transportation with 0.52%, due to the rise in regular gasoline prices, of 0.82%, and premium gasoline, of 0.87%. In addition, there was an increase in airline tickets of 4.74%, in public transportation fares of 0.76%, in-car fares of 0.63% and in taxi services of 1.21%, as well as buses of associated companies of 0.36%, vehicle repair of 1.41%, tires of 1.63% and batteries of 0.94%.

However, the Central Bank highlights that these increases in the transportation sector were offset by reducing automobile prices by 0.78%.

Other sectors

Meanwhile, the price index of the Miscellaneous Goods and Services group varied 0.45 % in April 2021, mainly due to price increases in personal care services, such as hair washing and styling (1.03 %) and men’s haircuts (0.47 %).

The Central Bank publication also indicates that the growth of the Restaurants and Hotels group index was 0.52 %, mainly due to increases in the prices of services for meals prepared outside the home such as a dish of the day (0.56 %), chicken service (0.58 %) and juice served outside the home (1.02 %).

The variation of 0.32% in the CPI of the Housing group is explained by the increase of 0.43% in the price of housing rental services and the rise of 2.27% in the price of paints.