Abu Dhabi consumer prices rise

Consumer prices rose by 2.5 per cent during the first seven months of 2011 compared with the same period of 2010, a report issued by Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi (SCAD) showed on Tuesday. The report also indicated that consumer prices rose by 2.3 per cent from July 2010 to July 2011, while a month-to-month comparison shows that average consumer prices rose by 0.3 per cent in July 2011 compared with June 2011. It also revealed that while the cost of living had risen by 1.7 per cent for the richest households in the UAE capital, it rose 4.5 per cent for households of the bottom welfare classification during the first seven months of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010. The report also showed the food and non-alcoholic beverages group contributed the largest share (54.9 per cent) of the rise in the index during the first seven months of 2011, due to increases in the prices of most of the subgroups. Article continues below The largest increase within this group was meat, which rose by 14.1 per cent, followed by coffee, tea and cocoa, up 13.1 per cent. Fruit was up 11.3 per cent, mineral waters, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, up 9.1 per cent, and vegetables up 8.4 per cent, according to the report. Fuels group The next largest contributor to the overall year-on-year increase in the CPI over the first seven months of 2011 was the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels group, which accounted for 34.8 per cent of the overall increase in consumer prices during this period, reflecting a rise of 2.2 per cent in the average prices of this group. According to the report the transport group contributed 31.4 per cent to the year-on-year rise in consumer prices and increased by 8.5 per cent during the first of seven months of 2011. Clothing and footwear SCAD's report also revealed that the key expenditure groups that slowed the rise in consumer prices during the first seven months of 2011 was clothing and footwear, as the prices of this group fell 15.8 per cent. The report shows that average consumer prices increased by 2.3 per cent year on year in July. The communications group posted the largest increase (12.5 per cent) during this period, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages, up 9.1 per cent, while the prices of the clothing and footwear group decreased by 14.5 per cent.