MOSCOW, September 4 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s food prices decreased by 0.5 percent in August 2012, as compared to the same period of 2011, the Russian State Statistics Service said in its regular report published on Tuesday, adding that the indicator had grown by 5.4 percent by the end of August since the beginning of the year.
Under the report, the country’s non-food prices grew by 0.4 percent in August and increased by three percent in the first eight months of the year. The cost of services edged up by 0.6 percent in the month under review, and has gone up by 5.7 percent since the beginning of the year, the statistics said.
The country’s total inflation in August was at 0.1 percent in general and made up 4.6 percent in January-August 2012, the document underlined.
For comparison, in August 2011, the country reported deflation at 0.2 percent, the Statistics Service reaffirmed, adding that the Russian consumer inflation increased by 4.7 percent in the first eight months of the year.
Under the report, the hike of the consumer prices exceeded 0.7 percent in six Russian regions in August, the report wrote, adding that the most significant growth was reported from the Kamchatka Territory and the Republic of Adygeya, where the indicators increased by 1.6 percent and 1.2 percent respectively, due to the 4.1-percent increase of the natural monopolies’ tariffs.
In August 2012, Moscow’s consumer prices slid down by 0.3 percent, but went up by 5.3 percent in the first eight months of the year, the Statistics Service wrote.
In St. Petersburg, the consumer prices decreased by 0.4 percent in August, but grew by 4.6 percent in January-August 2012.