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The consumer price index (CPI), an important indicator of price levels, rose 0.7 percent in the largest city of east China in August compared with the same month last year, according to a survey conducted by the local statistical bureau.
The CPI rise included a 2.1-percent rise in service prices and a 0.3-percent rise in consumer goods' prices. The overall increase was mainly driven up by prices in the food, entertainment, education and service sectors.
In August Shanghai residents spent slightly more on food, the biggest among the eight categories covered by the CPI statistics, as the sector's year-on-year price rise reached 3.3 percent.
Statistical experts attributed the food price hike to increased demand for takeaway and restaurant food, stimulated by a rapid growth in the number of tourists flowing into Shanghai.
Meanwhile, a reduction in the supply of some fruits due to high temperatures helped push up their prices by 12.3 percent on a year-on-year basis.
Statistics also show that residents in Shanghai paid less for housing, medical care, transport and telecommunications in August.
(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2002)
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