Rio, September 9, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Broad Consumer Price Index (IPCA), calculated by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), rose 0.34% in August, more than the 0.20% that it rose in July. Including this result, the IPCA has risen a total of 7.22% this year and 15.07% over the past 12 months.

According to the study, food prices continue to fall, but at a slower rate: -0.67% in July, 0.27% in August. In the past eight months, food prices have risen 5.49%. Non-food prices rose 0.53%, higher than the 0.47% increase in July.

After five months in decline, gasoline prices rose 0.37%. Alcohol prices continue to fall, but the decline is less pronounced (from -10.28% to -0.52%). Subject to the influence of energy rate readjustments in São Paulo and Belém, electricity costs rose 2.03% and represented the heaviest individual factor contributing to August's rise (0.09%).

Among the regions covered by the survey, the highest rate of increase in the IPCA was registered in Belém (0.92%), where electricity rates rose 17.52% as a result of the 27% rate readjustment on August 8. The smallest increase occurred in Fortaleza (0.03%).

The IPCA, used by the federal government in its inflation targets, is based on families that earn between 1 and 40 minimum wages and covers nine metropolitan regions, as well as Goiânia and Brasília. (DAS)