The biggest month-on-month price rise for a food item during the month under review in urban areas was recorded for watermelon with 61%. A kilogram of watermelon was sold at 39,726 rials (15 cents).
The second and third biggest month-on-month price increase during the period under review was registered for peaches with 48% and carrots with 40.3%, the Statistical Center of Iran reported.
A kilogram of peaches was sold at 179,223 rials (69 cents) and a kilogram of carrots went for 78,976 rials (30 cents).
Five out of 53 food items examined by SCI saw a price decline in the ninth Iranian month (Nov. 21-Dec. 20) compared with the month before.
Bell peppers with 22.2%, tomatoes with 19.9% and eggplants with 10.5% were top items with month-on-month deflations.
A kilogram of bell peppers was sold at 134,730 rials (52 cents), a kilogram of tomatoes went for 98,271 rials (38 cents) and a kilogram of eggplants was sold at 58,321 (22 cents).
Compared with the same month of the previous year, the retail prices for lentils during the month increased by 162.2%, registering the highest year-on-year price rise for a food item last month. A kilogram of lentils was sold at 279,711 rials ($1.07)
The second and third biggest year-on-year price rises in the same month among food items were registered for split peas with 152.9% and oranges with 142.3%. A kilogram of split peas was sold at 348,854 rials ($1.3) and a kilogram of oranges went for 137,760 rials (52 cents).
Year-on-year price deflation was registered for only one item: tomato with 8.7%.
With a coefficient of 26.64%, the CPI of food and beverages stood at 355 in the month ending Dec. 20, indicating a 5% increase compared with the month before, the highest among 12 groups of the basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households, according to SCI.
The food and beverages index registered a year-on-year increase of 58%.
The CPI of the group in the 12-month period ending Dec. 20 increased by 27.8% compared with last year’s corresponding period.
The 12 groups of the basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households surveyed by the SCI include "food & beverages" with a coefficient of 26.64%, "tobacco" with a coefficient of 0.59%, "clothing and shoes" with a coefficient of 4.78%, "housing, water, electricity, natural gas and other fuels" with a coefficient of 35.5% (highest), "furniture, home appliances and their maintenance" with a coefficient of 3.93%, "health and treatment" with a coefficient of 7.14%, "transportation" with a coefficient of 9.41%, "communications" with a coefficient of 2.87%, "leisure and culture" with a coefficient of 1.65%, "education" with a coefficient of 1.86%, "hotels and restaurants" with a coefficient of 1.44% and "miscellaneous items and services" with a coefficient of 4.18%.
The overall average goods and services Consumer Price Index in the 12-month period ending Dec. 20, which marks the end of the ninth Iranian month, increased by 30.5% compared with the corresponding period of last year.
SCI had put the average annual inflation rate for the preceding Iranian month that ended on Nov. 20 at 29%.
The consumer inflation for the month under review (Nov. 21-Dec. 20) registered an increase of 44.8% compared with the similar month of the previous Iranian year.
The year-on-year inflation of the month ending Nov. 20 was 46.4%.
The overall CPI (using the Iranian year to March 2017 as the base year) stood at 280.6 in the period, indicating a 2% rise compared with the month before.
Month-on-month consumer inflation was 5.2% for the preceding month.
SCI put urban and rural average annual inflation for the month under review at 30.5% both.
CPI registered a year-on-year increase of 44.2% for urban areas and 48% for rural areas in the month ending Dec. 20.
The overall CPI reached 277.7 for urban households and 296.3 for rural households, indicating a month-on-month increase of 1.9% and 2.7% for urban and rural areas, respectively.