Year-on-year, inflation slowed for food and non-alcoholic beverages (8.6 percent vs 8.9 percent in July); clothing and footwear (3.4 percent vs 3.8 percent); furnishing, housing equipment and routine maintenance of the house (2.7 percent vs 3.3 percent) and fell for transport (-0.6 percent compared to +0.1 percent), communication (-1.1 percent vs -1 percent) and restaurants and hotels (-0.3 percent vs 0.8 percent). On the other hand, prices rose faster for housing & utilities (8.9 percent vs 7.1 percent).
Annual core inflation, which excludes food and energy was steady at 2.2 percent.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices fell 0.4 percent, following a 0.2 percent drop in July. Prices for food went down 1.3 percent, mainly dragged down by cost of rice (-1.2 percent); maize grains (-1.2 percent); maize flour (-1.6 percent); dried sardines (-3.4 percent); vegetables (-1.2 percent); beans (-3.2 percent); potatoes (-3.5 percent) and cooking bananas (-2.4 percent). Additional downward pressure came from prices of diesel (-2.2 percent), petrol (-2.4 percent) and electronic equipment (-1.6 percent).