Mauritius September Inflation Accelerates to 3.9%, Agency Says

Mauritius’s annual inflation rate rose to its highest level since February, led by increased costs for vegetables and other goods and services, Statistics Mauritius said.

Inflation accelerated to 3.9 percent in September from 3.7 percent a month earlier, the Port Louis-based agency said in a statement on its website today. Prices rose 0.1 percent during the month.

The average inflation rate for the 12 months through September, a measure used to determine annual wages, declined to 4.4 percent from 4.6 percent in August, it said.

Mauritius’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.9 percent for a second consecutive meeting last month, citing risks that domestic inflation may accelerate because of higher global food and energy prices. The $10 billion Indian Ocean island economy is a net importer of food and fuels.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kamlesh Bhuckory in Port Louis at kbhuckory@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net