According to the National Statistics Committee, annual inflation accelerated to 6.4% in September, up 0.2 percentage points from August but down from 8% a year earlier.
Food prices increased by an average 1% over the month, while non-food goods rose 0.3% and paid services became 0.9% more expensive.
Vegetable prices recorded some of the sharpest increases. Tomatoes rose 14.2%, cucumbers 13.5% and carrots 12.4%. Bell peppers increased 4.9%, eggplants 4.7% and onions 2.6%.
Some fruits, meanwhile, became cheaper. Citrus fruits fell 12%, grapes declined 5.7%, apples 2.4% and bananas 1.7%.
Among staple foods, egg prices rose 5.3% over the month. Bone-in beef increased 1.7%, mutton 1.3%, while boneless beef and buckwheat each rose 1.1%. Rice and rice groats became 1% more expensive, while raw and whole milk and butter each increased 0.8%.
Fuel prices also rose. AI-95 gasoline and propane each increased 4.2%, while AI-92 gasoline rose 0.7%. AI-98 and AI-100 gasoline prices increased 0.4%. Methane prices were unchanged.
Education and other services recorded notable price increases in September. Services at state kindergartens rose 6.8%, legal services increased 6.6%, and tuition at state universities under fee-based contracts rose 6.3%. Private school fees increased 6%, while parking services rose 2.2%, cold water and sewerage charges 2.1%, and private kindergarten fees 1.7%.
For its calculations, the National Statistics Committee recorded more than 2 million prices at over 10,000 retail and service outlets. The survey covered 419 types of food and non-food products and 98 types of services.
