JAKARTA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia reported a monthly deflation rate of 0.48 percent in February, equivalent to 0.09 percent year-on-year, influenced by several policies affecting market prices, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Monday.
According to BPS head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased from 105.99 in January to 105.48 in February.
"The largest contributor to monthly deflation in the expenditure group was housing, water, electricity, and household fuels. The dominant factor driving deflation in this group was the discount on electricity tariffs, which contributed 0.67 percent to the deflation," she said at a virtual press conference.
Additionally, it was driven by a decline in volatile food prices, such as broiler chicken, which contributed 0.06 percent to the deflation, as well as red onions and red chilies, with respective contributions of 0.05 percent and 0.04 percent. ■
