BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- China's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, grew 0.9 percent year on year in March, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced Wednesday.
The pace, almost on par with market expectations, quickened from a growth of 0.8 percent in February. On a monthly basis, the CPI declined 0.3 percent, according to the NBS.
The NBS attributed the lower CPI reading on a monthly basis to lower food prices which fell 1.9 percent in March. Vegetable prices dropped the most, by 7.9 percent from that in February.
Non-food costs edged up 0.1 percent from a month earlier, with garment and healthcare prices rose remarkably.