TAIPEI, May 5 -- Taiwan's Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew by 0.12 percent year-on-year in April, as price rises in seafood, dairy, oil and gas were partly offset by a decline in the prices of vegetables, eggs, communication fees and electronic products, the island's statistics agency said Friday.
Transport and communications costs rose 2.3 percent in April, led by double-digit growth in long-distance bus fares and fuel prices. The rise was partially offset by declines in Internet and mobile phone fees.
Food prices dropped 2.38 percent year on year, mainly due to drops in vegetable and egg prices, which fell 34.54 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively.
Compared with the previous month, the CPI, a main gauge of inflation, rose 0.27 percent in April.
The core CPI, which excludes vegetables, fruit and energy, rose by 1.01 percent year on year, the agency said, while the Wholesale Price Index, a gauge of production costs, increased by 1.12 percent from a year earlier.
