There was an 11.3 per cent increase in the prices of non-alcholic beverages in November 2023 compared to the year before, according to the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics’ (JPES) latest Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The department said this was one of the main reasons the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverage index recorded an increase of 2.1 per cent. The increase was particularly due to the price of ready-to-consume low-sugar drinks, said JPES.
The other reason for the increase was higher prices for rice and cereals (2.5 per cent) due to an increase in the cost of raw materials for cakes, pastries and biscuits.
The department said that non-food index in November 2023 has registered a decrease of 0.3 per cent compared to the year before. This was mainly due to a fall of prices in the Communications (3.1 per cent) index, particularly telephone and telefax charges, in line with promotional offers for internet services. The transport index has also seen a two per cent decrease, mainly due to the fall in price of motor cars and airfares.
