SHAH ALAM, 23 Jan: Consumers earning below RM3,000 are the most pressed group as the consumer price index for sub-groups for food and non-alcoholic beverages for those earning below RM3,000 continue to rise.
The index released by the National Statistics Department found that the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages, in December for the group earning RM3,000 and below, increased to 113.8 points compared to 108.8 points or 4.5 percent in the same month the previous year.
Consumer goods in the group that recorded the highest increase was sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery; 9.4 percent to 135.5 points, followed by fish and seafood; 8.6 percent to 122.6 points.
Meanwhile, vegetables recorded the biggest increase for a period of one month, with an increase of 5.7 percent between November and December, making it 115.7 points.
The price index for milk and eggs in December saw an increase of 4.7 percent to 114.3 points compared to 109.2 points in December 2012.
The increases involved thus makes the disposable income of consumers from that group to become smaller compared to previously.
The index for sub-groups of food and alcoholic beverages and the percentage change in Malaysia as a whole increased from 108.7 points in December 2012 to 113.6 points or 4.5 percent last December.
The overall comparison for the same month saw the food index respectively for fish and seafood increased by 8.5 percent; meat, 5.8 percent; milk and eggs, 4.8 percent; vegetables, 5.5 percent, and for sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery, 8.1 percent.
