The Serbian Statistics Office said today that retail prices in Serbia in March 2006 went up 0.3% in comparison to the previous month, with the prices of goods and services rising 0.3% and 0.5% respectively. Compared to December 2005, March retail prices went up by 2.2%.
The cost of living in Serbia this March rose 0.6% against the previous month and 2.3% against December 2005. The discrepancy between the increase in the index of retail prices and the index of cost of living was due to different impacts of individual items on the overall index.
The prices of agricultural products rose 3.1%. This month, the prices of seasonal fruit, vegetables and fish have gone up, but the price of eggs has fallen.
The costs of industrial foodstuffs went up by 0.7% on average.
The prices of beverages rose 0.9% due to the increase in the price of alcoholic drinks, while the tobacco prices stayed level with the previous month.
The prices of non-food industrial products fell by 0.2% on average. This was mostly influenced by a decrease in the price of oil derivatives and medicines, whereas prices of other products did not see a significant increase.
The prices of services increased 0.5% on average, concludes the statement.