Inflation: See the biggest price hikes in March

Buy fruits and vegetables, use transport apps or fill up your car. All of this became more costly for Brazilians in March, according to data from the IPCA (National Consumer Price Index) released this Friday (8).

The country’s official inflation indicator rose 1.62% last month. It is the highest rate for March in 28 years, indicated the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

Among the products that registered the greatest price variations, there was a predominance of food. The melon had the most intense advance in the survey: 35.18%.

Then come peppers and carrots, with increases of 33.12% and 31.47% in March. The carrot, by the way, accumulates skyrocketing of 166.17% in the last 12 months. It is the highest inflation in this cut.

Tomatoes (27.22%), cabbage (26.72%) and papaya (19.51%) were also more expensive in March.

According to analysts, food rose with the adverse weather at the start of the year. Heavy rains in the Southeast and drought in the South affected plantations, impacting food supply and final prices.

Outside the food group, diesel was the item that increased the most in March: 13.65%. This is the seventh highest increase in the survey.

The diesel price came in the wake of the mega-increase in fuels promoted by Petrobras at refineries on March 11. The item also puts pressure on food, because it increases the cost of shipping in the country, indicated the IBGE.

In another reflection of the mega-increase, transport by app had the second-largest increase outside of food: 7.98%.

According to the IPCA methodology, the products and services with the most intense price variations do not always represent the main influences on the result.

Proof of this is that the March index was particularly pressured by gasoline. Last month, fuel rose 6.95%. The product generated an impact of 0.44 percentage point on the IPCA.

Gasoline has a greater influence on the basket of products and services that are consumed by the families analyzed in the indicator. Thus, even rising less than other components, it accounted for the main impact.

Inflation in March, in %

Source: IBGE