Residents in the southern and northern regions experienced a inflation higher in March than the inhabitants in the National District, Santo Domingo province and the eastern region, a situation that the central bank attributed mainly to the higher incidence of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Transportation groups in both geographical areas.
In addition, when in March of last year the cost of the family basket in the southern region It was 29,903.41 pesos, as of last March it had risen to 3,067.41 pesos, for an increase of 10.26%. That is, it increased to 32,970.83 pesos for the inhabitants of the Azua, Bahoruco, Barahona, Elías Piña, Independencia, Pedernales, Peravia, San Cristóbal, San José de Ocoa and San Juan provinces.
Residents in the North Region o Cibao had an average cost of the family shopping basket rising to 35,610.70 pesos in March of last year. A year later it rose 3,569.78 pesos, meaning an increase of 10.02%.
Now, residents in the provinces of Dajabón, Duarte, Espaillat, Hermanas Mirabal, La Vega, María Trinidad Sánchez, Monseñor Nouel, Montecristi, Puerto Plata, Samaná, Sánchez Ramírez, Santiago, Santiago Rodríguez and Valverde have a family basket that averages 39,180.48 pesos .
The family basket includes various items ranging from food, clothing, medicines, medical consultations, transportation, appliances and education, among others.
In its most recent report on the variation of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the central bank details that the results by geographical areas show that the price index of the Ozama region, which includes the National District and the Santo Domingo province, varied 0.60% last March; on the North Region or Cibao 0.72%; in the east zone 0.69% and in the southern region 0.75%.
He explains that the higher variation in the north and south is mainly explained by the higher incidence of the index of the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Transportation groups in both regions.
The price index of the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages group, registering an increase of 1.18% at the national level, was the one with the highest incidence in the March CPI throughout the country, reports the central bank.
The foregoing is mainly explained by the price increases of fresh chicken (3.13%), avocados (12.41%), green pigeon peas (12.34%), pork (2.84%), peppers (4.69%) and yucca (3.22%). .
In addition to soybean oil (1.28%), purified water (0.90%), evaporated milk (2.50%), green bananas (2.05%), beef (1.05%), liquid milk (1.17%) and rice (0.31%). ).
Also, salami (0.71%), potatoes (2.47%) and white cheese (1.54%), while other food goods registered decreases in prices, such as eggs (-1.33%), onions (-2.52%) and garlic (-2.58%).
In the case of the Transportation sector, its variation was 0.67% and responds mainly to the increases in the prices of premium gasoline (2.02%) and regular (1.50%), and diesel (1.98%), which had not been implemented the subsidy scheme applied by the government for about four months –initially–, would have registered greater increases.
Additionally, the central bank reports that in the Transport group, the price increases at the national level of vehicle repair services (1.48%) and land transport in motoconcho (0.75%), in urban bus (0.70%), public car (0.39%) contributed. , as well as tickets abroad (2.68%).
“These increases were partially offset by the reduction in car prices (-2.38%), influencing that the inflation of this group was not of greater magnitude”, he adds.
In general, the variation of the Consumer Price Index was 0.67% in March of this 2022 with respect to the previous month, showing a slowdown compared to the rates of 1.18% and 0.92% observed in January and February of this year, respectively. In this sense, the inflation accumulated in the first quarter of 2022 was 2.80%.
The inflation The interannual registered between March 2021 and March 2022 stood at 9.05%, being the highest since the 10.48% reported between May 2020 and that same month of 2021.
