According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the sharp rise in the annual rate of inflation since last September stabilised a little in April, falling from 7.2% in March to 7%. However, the 12-month average rose for the tenth successive month, to 4.4% in April. The rise in year-on-year inflation from 2.5% in September has been driven by higher world food and oil prices. Food and transport costs, which account for 43.3% of total consumer expenditure, were 6.3% and 11% higher in April 2011 than in April 2010. There was a glimmer of hope as food prices actually fell by 0.4% in April compared with March, their third-and biggest-month-on-month fall in a year, and transport price inflation fell for the first time in seven months.

Current inflation is of great concern to the government, which has been forced to introduce a number of special measures to try to contain political unrest over the cost of living (April 2011, Economic performance). The governor of the Bank of Mauritius (BoM, the central bank), Rundheersing Bheenick, has warned that the repo rate, which was increased from 4.75% to 5.25% in March, is likely to be raised further in the coming months because of rising inflation.

Download the numbers in Excel