YEREVAN, March 6. /ARKA/. Consumer price index in Armenia drops by 0.9% in February of 2012 from January, Gurgen Martirosyan, Head of Department of Price Statistics and International Comparisons Division of Armenian National Statistical Service, said on Tuesday. Food prices ( including prices on alcoholic beverage and tobacco products) decreased by 1.6% in February from January, industrial goods prices rose by 0.2%, and prices in service sector didn’t change, according to him.

Martirosyan also said that consumer prices fell by 1.2-0.2 % in the county in February from January, and the highest tumble was reported in Talin. Consumer prices in Yerevan dropped by 1%.Martirosyan pointed out that the fruit sector reported the highest deflation of 28.6%. Prices on eggs (1.2%), vegetables and potatoes (12.7%), sea food (0.8%), dairy products (0.3%), oil of plant or animal origin (1.1%) also fell.

“ Prices on such products as coffee, tea and cocoa reported 1% inflation, prices on meat products increased by 0.1%, confectionary – 1.3%, bread products – 0.6%, alcoholic beverage and tobacco products-1.2%,” he said.Martirosyan also clarified that Armenia faced February deflation just 6 times within the last 20 years.He said that February inflation in Armenia reached 3% in 2012 from a year earlier. This is explained by 3.3 % consumer prices increase( including alcoholic beverage and tobacco products) and 3.7 % industrial goods prices rise. The state budget for 2012 year forecasts 4% (±1,5%) level inflation in Armenia. -0-