Sri Lanka inflation rises to 60.8% in July as dollar crunch persists

Transport costs surge 143.6%, while food prices have increased 90.9%

Sri Lanka’s headline inflation surged to a record in July as food and fuel remained scarce amid depleted foreign exchange reserves.
 
Official data on Friday showed consumer prices in the capital Colombo rose 60.8 per cent from a year ago. That compares with the 62 per cent jump from a median estimate by three economists in a Bloomberg survey.
 
Transport costs rose 143.6 per cent, while food prices increased 90.9 per cent, the data showed.
 
Prices are still soaring even as economic activity has almost ground to a halt amid nationwide rationing of fuel and power