RIYADH — The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed that the prices of some products recorded an increase of 36 percent during the month of April compared to the previous month of March. These included mainly the rise in the prices of local tomatoes that recorded an increase of 36.09 percent. The price of one kilo of tomato rose from SR5.93 to SR8.07, and this was followed by an increase in imported tomatoes by 28.17 percent, bringing the price of one kilo from SR6 to SR7.69. With regard to the prices of products that recorded a decrease, the authority announced that the fall was recorded mostly in party and wedding expenses by 4.46 percent, after the cost dropped from SR12.49 to SR11.93. The prices of the Lebanese pear fell by 4.3 percent, bringing the price of a kilo to SR12.01 from SR12.55, while the prices of the rest of the products declined by less than two percent. The authority indicated that the general consumer price index for the month of April increased by 2.3 percent compared to the same month last year. This is higher than the previous month of March 2022, due to an increase in transportation prices by 4.6 percent and food and beverage prices by 4.3 percent. The GASTAT published on Tuesday these figures in its consumer and wholesale price index for the month of April. The index showed that the purchase prices of vehicles increased by 4.1 percent and the food and beverage items recorded an increase of 4.3 percent, affected by the increase in food prices by 4.6 percent. It also affected the increase in prices of meat by 3.5 percent and vegetables by 13.5 percent.
