The Bhutanese Leading the way.
According to wholesalers and retailers, the price of some food and non-food items have increased due to the increase in transportation charges. The data from National Statistics Bureau (NSB) show that the prices of consumer goods and services have increased by 5.32 percent compared to same month of last year.
Non-food prices continue to record higher increase with 6.37 percent compared to 4.10 percent increase for food group. Non-food contributed to 62 percent of the overall inflation rate while the remaining was accounted to food prices.
Among the 12 major divisions, transport recorded the highest price increase with 10.06 percent, mainly associated with fuel price that increased by around 32 percent on average. It contributed to 27 percent of the total inflation rate in February. Clothing and footwear recorded the second highest increase with 9.24 percent followed by miscellaneous goods & services with 8.28 percent. The increase in food items is due to increase in the price of cooking oil, sugar and eggs by 36.12 percent, 34.41 percent and 27.15 percent respectively.
“The prices of MS pipes, MS flat, MS angles, roof sheets, plywood, etc., have increased now. As for how much it has increased, the average increase is around Nu 10 for a unit of those items. I used to be able to procure 13 tons of goods in trucks with Nu 18,000 for transportation charges, but now, the cost of transporting about 12 tons of goods is Nu 22,000 or more,” said Sonam Dorji, the owner of KISS Enterprise in Thimphu.
Migmar Dorji, a wholesale owner of JTD enterprise, said the price of cooking oil has increased from the source, by 10 percent within the last three months.
In most retail shops, the price of rice has been hiked by about Nu 50, along with price of Dalda and other items.
