Consumer prices in Belarus increased by 1.1 percent in the first 21 days of May, rising by 0.2 percent in the third week of the month, reported the National Statistics Committee (Belstat).
According to Belstat, between May 1 and May 21, the highest increases occurred in the prices of cabbages (105.5 percent), bread and bakery products (seven percent), butter and pork, excluding boneless pork, and boneless beef (5.3 to 5.7 percent), "first-grade" cooked sausages, vodka, milk and dairy products (3.4 to 4.2 percent), and soft drinks and beef, excluding boneless beef, beer and cookies (1.4 to 2.6 percent).
Eggs reportedly decreased in price by 6.3 percent, buckwheat by 1.9 percent, potatoes by 1.7 percent, millet by 1.2 percent, vegetable oil, excluding olive oil, by 0.7 percent, and onions by 0.4 percent.
The prices of fabrics increased by 1.4 percent, clothes, footwear, tableware and wallpaper by 0.6 to 0.9 percent, health resort treatment by 8.2 percent, consumer services by 2.2 percent, and cultural services by 1.5 percent.
Belstat earlier reported that consumer prices in Belarus rose by 6.8 percent in the first four months of 2012.
Last year saw an unprecedented inflation rate of 108.7 percent.
The government initially projected inflation to slow down to 19 to 22 percent in 2012, but Alyaksandr Lukashenka suggested in February that the government should revise its inflation projection for the year downward to 13 to 15 percent. // BelaPAN
