Consumer price index (CPI) in December rose by 2.2 percent from a year ago, bringing full-year inflation to an average of 1.7 percent, as the Southeast Asian country looked set to escape inflation woes hitting the rest of Asia thanks to the low relative weighting of foodstuffs in its CPI basket and price controls.

The Statistics Department said on Wednesday the CPI in December was up 0.4 percent percent from November on a seasonally unadjusted basis.

The annual data was in line with the median forecast of 2.2 percent in a Reuters poll of 11 economists. November CPI rose by 2 percent.

According to Bernama , the index for food, non-alcoholic beverages and non-food for December 2010 vis-a-vis the same month in 2009 showed 2.8 per cent and 1.9 per cent increases, respectively.

Between January and December 2010, the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages and non-food increased by 2.4 per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively.

Compared to the previous month, the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages and non-food was up by 0.3 per cent and 0.5 per cent, respectively.

The 1.7 per cent increase in the CPI was brought about by increases observed in the indices of all the main groups except for clothing and footwear (-1.4 per cent) and communication (-0.2 per cent).

Notable increases among main groups with high weights were food and non-alcoholic beverages (+ 2.4 per cent), transport (+ 1.6 per cent) and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (+ 1.1 per cent).

Other increases were alcoholic beverages and tobacco (+ 4.0 per cent), miscellaneous goods and services (+ 2.7 per cent), restaurants and hotels (+ 2.0 per cent), education (+ 1.7 per cent), recreation services, culture and health by 1.6 per cent, respectively, and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (+ 0.7 per cent).

The three main groups - food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and transport together accounted for 76.2 per cent of the overall increase recorded for the current period.

Compared with the previous month, the CPI for December 2010 increased by 0.4 per cent, with increases shown in six main groups namely transport (+ 1.6 per cent), restaurants and hotels (+ 0.5 per cent), miscellaneous goods and services and food and non-alcoholic beverages by 0.3 per cent, respectively, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and health by 0.1 per cent, respectively.

The main group clothing and footwear showed a 0.7 per cent decline.

The indices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco; furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance, communication, recreation services and culture and education remained unchanged at 142.7; 109.5; 96.1; 107.1 and 110.4, respectively.

The 0.3 per cent increase in the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages in December 2010 compared with that of the previous month were shown for food at home (+ 0.3 per cent), food away from home (+ 0.3 per cent) and coffee, tea, cocoa and non-alcoholic beverages (+ 0.1 per cent).

Among food items which recorded notable increases in the index in December 2010 compared with the previous month were onions (+ 16.6 per cent), Shallots (+ 14.4 per cent), Sugar (+ 10.2 per cent), water Spinach (+ 7.5 per cent), Spinach (+ 7.4 per cent), eggs (+3.6 per cent), Choy Sum (+ 2.4 per cent), fish (+ 1.8 per cent), prawns (+ 1.4 per cent) and cuttlefish (+ 0.9 per cent).

Meanwhile, the index for some food items dwindled in December 2010 compared with the previous month.

Among them were tomatoes (-13.2 per cent), cucumber (-8.0 per cent), red chillies (-6.6 per cent), selar scad (fish) (-4.4 per cent), long beans (-3.5 per cent), Indian Mackerel (fish) (-2.8 per cent), hardtail scad (fish) (-2.4 per cent) and chicken (-2.3 per cent).

- Agencies