November CPI up 0.96% as African swine fever inflates pork prices

Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in November posted its largest monthly gain, at 0.96%, as limited pork supply due to the African swine fever pushed up prices of Vietnam’s primary source of protein.

Pork prices in Vietnam have climbed to record highs due to a supply shortage.
Pork prices in Vietnam have climbed to record highs due to a supply shortage.

However, the average CPI in the eleven months ending November only increased by 2.57%, the lowest in the past three years, according to the General Statistics Office.

Among the 11 groups of goods and services used to calculate inflation, food and eatery services saw the biggest rise at 2.74% against the previous month, followed by beverages and tobacco at 0.2% and housing and building materials at 0.13%.

Other groups climbed up between 0.03% and 0.16%, official data released on November 29 showed.

In the meantime, transports costs fell 0.73% thanks to two rounds of fuel price cuts. Telecommunication costs also dropped by a slight 0.09% in November.

The CPI in November increased 3.78% compared with December 2018 and 3.52% compared with 12 months earlier.

The domestic gold price index in November dropped 0.63% against the previous month while the US dollar index also fell 0.13% compared with October.