Sri Lanka's inflation for March hit an all-time low level of 0.1 percent while its annualized average followed suit as well to record 2.5 percent, latest data released by the Central Bank said here on Wednesday.
The Central Bank said inflation, as measured by the change in the Colombo Consumers' Price Index (CCPI), which is computed by the Department of Census and Statistics, decreased to 0.1 percent on an year-on-year basis in March 2015, from 0.6 percent recorded in February 2015.
Annual average inflation also declined from 2.9 percent in February 2015 to 2.5 percent in March 2015.
CCPI declined by 0.4 percent from February to March 2015. The main contributor for this decline was the moderation of food prices during the month, the report observed.
Prices of many vegetable varieties, rice, wheat flour, some varieties of dried fish and bakery products declined in March 2015, compared to the prices prevailed in February 2015, largely due to the new government slashing taxes on these products or slapping price controls.
Core inflation, which reflects the underlying inflation in the economy, increased to 1.4 percent in March 2015, from 0.8 percent in February 2015 on a year-on-year basis. Annual average core inflation declined to 3 percent in March 2015, from 3.2 percent in February 2015.
However, the Asian Development Bank last month warned growth would slow to 7 percent in 2015 from 7.4 percent in the previous year as investors wait for the new government to make their policies clearer./.