A month earlier, the annual inflation was 2.72%.
Food prices increased 1.2% on the month in February, while non-food and services prices inched up 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively, the statistics institute INS said.
Romanians paid by 12.7% more for eggs in February compared with a month earlier, while the cost fresh and canned vegetables advanced 5.77%.
In the non-food sector, tobacco and fuel prices increased by 1.4% and 0.7% on the month, respectively, while medical care services were up 0.35%, the data showed.
Vegetables prices are expected to fall over the next few months, as production picks up, but fruit prices are likely to remain at the February levels throughout the year, local producers said.
“The vegetables production fell behind by one month because of the bad weather this year, so the prices are likely to remain relatively stable until May or June, after which they should drop to half the level reported in February,” Aurel Tanase, head of the Prodcom inter-trade association told Mediafax.
Romania’s harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, fell to 5.1% at the end of February, from 5.5% the month before.
The central bank targets an annual inflation of 3% at the end of 2012, plus/minus one percentage point around the band. The bank recently revised upward its year-end forecast to 3.2% from 3%, citing a less favorable base effect than previously estimated.