A customer picks papayas at a fruit stall in the Pulo Payung traditional market in Dumai, Riau, on April 24 (Source: Antara)Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia recorded the lowest inflation in 20 years inMay as the COVID-19 pandemic led to depressed demands.
According to the National Agency ofStatistics (BPS), the nation’s CPI increased by 0.07 percent. The inflation inMay drifted down 2.19 percent annualized from 2.67 percent in the precedingmonth.
BPS head Kecuk Suhariyanto said that theuncertainty surrounding the economy has made the inflation level very unusualand much lower than in previous years, as demand usually spikes during the IdulFitri holiday.
May’s figure marks the lowest Idul Fitriinflation level in the country’s 74-year history, as during the Muslim holidaypeople usually participate in exodus, family gatherings and mass shoppingsprees that boost demand.
This year, the government banned exodus andseveral regions nationwide implemented large-scale social restrictions tocontain the COVID-19 outbreak, leaving millions of people out of work. Thevirus had infected at least 30,500 people, with 1,800 deaths, as of June 6,according to official data, since the government announced the first twoconfirmed cases in early March./.
VNA
