The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January increased by 0.81% year-on-year. That’s according to a report by the government statistics office out Monday.
The report said while the increase is under 1%, it is the biggest rise in 14 months.
Because of a cold snap that hit Taiwan about two weeks ago, prices of fruits, vegetables and seafood products registered the biggest increase with fruit prices going up by more than 10%.
Electricity prices, which have risen 20% compared with last January, had a lower base of comparison. Still, price increases were slightly offset by falling oil prices.
The statistics office also said the CPI will continue to rise in February, partly due to the Chinese New Year holiday and partly due to agricultural losses caused by the cold spell.
Despite the rising CPI, the overall prices of the 17 basic goods monitored by the government dropped 0.88% when compared with the same month in 2015. The prices for pork, chicken, and milk all showed decreases.