Taiwan's CPI climbs 0.88 pct in January

TAIPEI - Taiwan's Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew by 0.88 percent year-on-year in January, the island's statistics agency said Tuesday.

The agency attributed the rise mainly to price increases in tobacco, fuel, medical services, vegetables, dairy and meat products.

Food prices in January rose 0.82 percent from a year earlier, with the prices of vegetables, dairy, grains and meat up 25.04 percent, 5.03 percent, 3.11 percent and 2.85 percent, respectively.

However, fruit dropped 27.43 percent compared with last January due to a relatively high comparison base.

The core CPI, which excludes vegetables, fruit and energy, saw a year-on-year rise of 0.82 percent, the agency said, while the Wholesale Price Index fell 0.74 percent from a year earlier.