ISLAMABAD, April 13: Inflation rose 8.25 per cent during the nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal year over the same period last year.

Official statistics released by Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) here on Thursday showed that high oil prices, which touched $70 per barrel in international markets, mainly responsible for higher inflation, besides raise in prices of education fee, house rent and food items during the period under review.

The CPI inflation up by 0.23 per cent in March 2006 over the previous month of February 2006. However, the percentage increase in the inflation during March 2006 was 6.91 per cent over the same month of the last year.

Analysts said that the inflation had already touched the double digits in the market as the government statistics were based on the survey of only 35 urban cities.

They said that net inflation remained within the range projected by the government despite rising food and oil prices which recorded tremendous increase during the period under review.

The inflation ratio remained in the range of 8 per cent to 9 per cent during the nine months of the current fiscal year.

The highest inflation recorded so far at 8.99 per cent during the month of July 2005 over the last year, which then came down to 8.53 per cent in September 2005. During the month of October inflation stood at 8.27 per cent, which increased to 8.51 per cent in the month of December 2005, 8.76 per cent in January 2006 and 8.42 per cent in February 2006 over the corresponding months of last year.

A group-wise analysis showed, the fuel and lighting remained on top as the group persisting in rising trend in March 2006 and recorded a growth of 9.50 per cent when compared with the same month of the last year; transport and communication by 14.33 per cent; house rent 8.75 per cent; education 7 per cent; food items 5.42 per cent; medicare 3.07 per cent; apparel, textile and footwear by 4.17 per cent over the same month of the last year.

Among these groups, the price of potatoes up by (9.98pc), tomatoes (3.91pc), meat (2.76pc), beverages (2.30pc), pulse gram (2.25pc), pulse moong (1.89pc), sweet meat and nimco (1.78pc), pulse mash (1.76pc), betel leaves and nuts(1.74pc), readymade food (1.30pc), milk fresh (1.29pc), footwear (1.34pc), firewood (1.63pc), text books (1.13pc) during the month of March 2006 over the previous month of Feb 2006.