According to Consumer Price Index statistics released on Monday by the Census and Statistics Department, February’s inflation rate was higher than January’s 1.2 percent, but still below the market expectation of 2 percent.

In early February, prices of fresh vegetables tripled from their normal price after cross-border drivers got infected with Covid-19. A big number of drivers were stuck at border points, while recovered drivers were required to wait for weeks before returning to their jobs.

A government spokesman said that the year-on-year comparison of figures in the first two months of the year may have been distorted by the timing of the Lunar New Year, which fell in early February this year, but in mid-February last year.

By calculating together the CPI of the first two months of 2022 to neutralize distortions caused by the timing of the Lunar New Year, the average inflation rate was 1.5 percent.

While basic food prices went up, other CPI components such as transport and clothing remained similar.

The resumption of stable food supplies from the mainland will contain pressures on food prices, the spokesman said.