Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Composite consumer price index (CPI) in February 2023 made 0.5% against previous month and 1.4% against December 2022. In annual terms (to February of the previous year) this index reached 12.2%. This is reported by the State Agency of Uzbekistan.

Excluding changes in prices for fruit and vegetable products, the short-term aggregate CPI for February 2023 was 0.3%. Compared to December 2022, the indicator was fixed at 0.8% and in February 2022 at 12.9%.

In February 2023, the contribution of price changes for food products to the increase in the composite CPI for the month was 0.31 p.p. They accounted for about 57.4% of the total impact of observed goods and services.

The contribution of non-food products was 20.4% (with contribution of 0.11 p.p.), paid services to the population - 22.2% of the total impact (with contribution of 0.12 p.p.).

In January-February 2023 the contribution of price changes for foodstuffs to the increase in the composite CPI was 0.75 p.p. They accounted for about 55.1% of the total impact of observed goods and services. The contribution of non-food products accounted for 24.3% of the total impact (contribution of +0.33 p.p.). The contribution of price changes in services was the least among the three major groups and reached 0.28 p.p. (20.6%).

In February 2023, the short-term CPI for the month in Section VII. "Transportation" was 102.0%, Section I. "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" - 100.8%, in sections IX. "Recreation, Sports and Culture" and XIII. "Household goods and services, other goods and services" - 100.6%. In other sections, it did not exceed the average value for monitored goods and services (100.5%).

The CPI for January-February 2023 was lower than in the same period last year for virtually all sections except for Sections I. "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" (equal values of 101.9%), VII. "Transportation" (102.7% vs. 99.6%), XII. "Insurance and financial services" (100.1% vs. 100.0%).

In February 2023 short-term CPI below the mark of 100.0% was registered in the groups "Meat Products" (99.5%) and "Oil and Fats" (99.2%).

Seasonality influenced the current short-term price index in Fruit and Nuts (101.7%) and Vegetables, Tuber Crops and Legumes (105.1%).

In other groups, excluding fruit and vegetable products, as well as the group "Fish and other seafood", where the price index was 101.0%, the CPI for the month was below the average value of Section I. "Foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages".

The seasonal factor influenced the CPI in Section I. "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" for January-February 2023. Thus, the CPI exceeding the average value for the section was noted for fruits and nuts (102.6%), as well as for vegetables, tubers and legumes (113.2%).

In all groups, except for meat products, milk, other dairy products and eggs, as well as vegetables, tubers and legumes, the CPI in January-February 2023 was below the same indicator of the last year.

The average price level for fruits and nuts in February this year remained lower than in the corresponding month last year. The annualized CPI for February 2023 in the Oil and Fats, Fruits and Nuts, and Vegetables, Tuber Crops and Grain Legumes groups was lower than the corresponding figure for February 2022.

Typical of the winter months, an increase in prices for fruit and vegetable products is mainly due to the seasonal factor. Herewith, the rise in prices for onions in February 2023 was less pronounced than at the beginning of the year (109.8% vs. 144.7%). The CPI for bananas in February against the previous month was registered at the level below 100% (98.4%).

CPI for onions in January-February 2023 made 159.0%, while increase in prices for this product did not exceed 3 thousand soums. Cabbage, apples, lemons, garlic, pomegranates, herbs, eggplants, potatoes and pumpkins in February 2023 were the goods with a decrease in prices in annual terms. The CPI by February 2022 for them was between 68.8 and 95.7%.

Seasonal discounts on winter clothing and footwear were reflected in the change in average price levels in Section III. "Clothing and Footwear."

Prices in Section IV. "Housing Services, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels" in February of this year did not undergo any significant changes.

Fluctuations of price indices were registered only in the group "Maintenance, repairs and security of residential premises", where the short-term CPI for materials for maintenance and repair of residential premises amounted to 99.7%, services for maintenance, repair and security of residential premises - 101.0%. Prices for the main types of utilities remained stable during the month.

In February this year, the upper limit of CPI fluctuations for household furniture amounted to 100.3%. The range of CPI changes for basic types of household appliances was within the range from 99.7% (heaters and air conditioners) to 100.8% (repair and installation of household appliances). The CPI for kitchen utensils and household items for the month was 100.4%. The range of CPI for various types of tools and appliances used in household and gardening in February this year was 98.6-100.1%.

The CPI for dental preventive services for the month of February 2023 was 101.0%, for diagnostic imaging and medical laboratory services 100.6%, for pharmaceuticals 100.2%, and for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services 100.8% and 100.4%, respectively.

In February 2023, the short-term CPI for gasoline was 101.1% and other motor fuel was 105.3%. CPI for passenger air transport services for the month reached 103.1%, road - 101.7%, rail - 100.6%.

In February of this year there was an increase in prices for new cars. CPI for the month for them amounted to 101.3%.

The CPI for information and communication equipment in February of this year was 100.3%, which is lower than in the same month of 2020-2021 and equal to the figure for February 2022. The range of short-term CPI fluctuations for goods in this group ranged from 99.7% (laptops) to 100.5% (mobile telephone equipment and equipment for receiving, recording and reproducing sound and images).

Among the services in the field of information in February of this year, an increase in prices was registered only in integrated telecommunications services and services for repair of information and communication equipment, where the CPI amounted to 100.7% and 100.2%, respectively. Taking into account the specific weight of these services, as well as the stability of prices for other services observed in this sphere, the CPI for the month was formed at the mark of 100.0%.

The CPI in Section IX. "Recreation, Sports and Culture" in February 2023 to the previous month amounted to 100.6%. In February this year, the average fee for visiting zoos was 13.1% higher in the republic, including 1.7 times higher in Fergana region. At the same time, price increase in this region did not exceed 5,200 soums.

The average price level in the market of educational services decreased, which is associated with the introduction of updated size of parental fees for children’s attendance to public preschool educational organizations.

The level of prices in the sphere of public catering in February of this year did not change significantly.

In February 2023, the CPI for services of recreation centers for a month amounted to 102.2%, which is associated with an increase in prices for them in the Andijan region. In Bukhara and Samarkand regions, there was an increase in prices for hotel services, due to which the CPI for these services averaged 100.6% in the republic.

In February of the current year, the price situation in the market of observed insurance services remained stable. A slight increase in prices among financial services was noted only for the services of money transfer through banks. The CPI for this type of services amounted to 100.5% over the month. This was due to fluctuations in the exchange rate of the national currency to the U.S. dollar and, as a consequence, changes in fees for the transfer of funds in foreign currency.

The CPI for the month for electrical appliances for personal use amounted to 100.4%. The same indicator for hairdressers and personal service establishments was at the level of 101.4%.

The range of fluctuations of the short-term CPI for goods and services included in this group in February this year was in the range of 100.1-100.8%.

In February 2023, a slight increase in prices in the group of other services was recorded only for funeral services. The short-term CPI for them in the country as a whole amounted to 100.2%.

The contribution of price changes for food and non-alcoholic beverages to the increase in the short-term composite CPI in February this year amounted to +0.31 p.p. A significant contribution was also made by changes in prices in the field of transport (+0.17 p.p.), while a restraining factor was a decrease in prices of clothing and footwear (-0.01 p.p.). At the expense of rising prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages, the composite CPI for January-February 2023 became higher by 0.75 p.p., the rise in prices in the field of transport added another 0.23 p.p. to it. The impact of other sections was less significant

Due to the rise in prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages, the composite CPI for February 2023 was 6.15 p.p. higher in annual terms, with an overall increase of 12.23 p.p. Thus, this section accounted for more than 50% of the total impact of observed goods and services. The total contribution of price changes in health care and transportation was 2.14 p.p., or 17.5%.