Rio, April 27, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The fall in the prices of food, fuels, and cigarettes led to a retreat in inflation as measured by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics' (IBGE) Broad Consumer Price Index-15 (IPCA-15). April's IPCA-15 was 0.21%, the lowest rate registered this year. The rate was 0.68% in January, 0.90% in February, and 0.40% in March. The cumulative rate so far this year stands at 2.19%, and the rate for the last 12 months, 5.33%.

According to the Institute, the negative movement in food prices (-0.17%) was mainly the result of the increase in supply due to the beginning of the harvest.

Among the items experiencing significant increases, the ones that stand out are soy oil (3.91%), coffee (2.55%), cooking gas (2.47%), water and sewage bills (2.06%), and remedies (1.04%).

Translator: David Silberstein