On a monthly basis, the consumer price index was unchanged in November, data from the country’s statistics institute INS showed. Food prices declined 0.2% on the month, while non-food and services prices inched up 0.1% each.
Romanians paid by 4% less for fresh and canned fruit in November compared with the previous month, with citrus fruit posting the largest monthly decrease of 8.3%, the data showed. Sugar prices fell 1.2%, but potatoes were by 6.1% more expensive.
Fuel prices edged down 0.12% on the month, but healthcare services were up 0.2%.
Romania’s harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, was 3.5% at the end of November, slightly down from 3.7% in the previous month.
The central bank recently revised its forecast on the country’s inflation to 1.8% in December from 3.1% previously, citing lower prices of volatile products.
The bank said the annual rate would likely decelerate to historical lows in the first part of 2014, on the back of a positive effect of this year’s crops and a lower sales tax rate for bread and bakery items. However, the estimate doesn’t factor in a string of fiscal measures announced by the government, including a new tax on fuel.