BANGKOK, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 1.68 percent in September from one year earlier, the fastest growth in four months, official data showed Tuesday.
The growth was compared with a dip of 0.02 percent registered in August, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The higher-than-expected CPI increase was driven by higher costs of energy, which jumped 19.67 percent year on year, while prices of rice, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetable and fruit dropped, according to the ministry.
In the first nine months, the country's CPI edged up 0.83 percent from a year earlier. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 1.59 percent in September from the previous month.
Commerce official Wichanun Niwatjinda said Thailand's consumer inflation remained mild compared with other countries because of the government's measures to reducing people's living costs, expecting the country's CPI to rise within a range of 0.8-1.2 percent this year.
He said consumer prices are likely to pick up in the fourth quarter, driven by higher oil prices as well as improved economic activities following the easing of pandemic control measures.
The country's core CPI, excluding energy and food prices, edged up 0.19 percent year on year last month, following August's 0.07-percent increase, according to the ministry. Enditem
