Tanzania: Inflation Climbs to 11-Month High in January

The annual inflation rate has increased by 0.3 percentage point to climb to 11 months high rate last month.

The rate climbed to 3.5 per cent last month from 3.2 per cent registered last December, using the

2015 as a base year.

The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) release showed that on the year basis, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, clothing and footwear, plus furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance rose above 3.0 per cent.

"The increase of the headline inflation rate means that, the speed of price change for commodities for the year ended January has increased compared to the speed that was recorded for the year ending [last] December," NBS report said.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 7.3 per cent clothing and footwear by 3.7 per cent and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance by 3.1 per cent.

The three items have less weight on the total index thus the inflation rose to 3.5 per cent from 3.2 per cent of last December.

The index heavy weight is food and non-alcoholic beverages which on year basis rose by 2.8 per cent.

"Food and non-alcoholic beverages' inflation rate has decreased from 3.0 per cent [last] December to 2.8 per cent in January," NBS report showed.

The annual inflation rate for unprocessed food stands at 1.4 per cent last month while inflation rate for all items without unprocessed food stands at 3.7 per cent.

NBS said last month overall index went up from 98.07 recorded last January to 101.53 this January.

On monthly changes the inflation increased by 0.8 per cent between last December and January.

"The same increase was recorded between November and December, 2020," NBS said.

The overall index increased from 100.73 last December to 101.53 last month.

The increase of the overall index is mainly attributed to the price increase for some non-food items.

Some of the non-food items that contributed to such increase include clothing materials by 4.7 per cent, garments for men by 2.0 per cent, rents for private households by 3.8 per cent, materials for minor maintenance of households such as tiles by 12.4 and house hold utensils by 12.7 per cent.