On a month-to-month basis, food prices rose by 0.6 percent, suggesting that while the pace of increases is slowing, food remains a sensitive driver of household expenditure. Breaking it further down, inflation for goods slowed to 11.2 percent from 13.9 percent in August, while services inflation eased to 4.8 percent from 5.4 percent. Local vs. imported pricesThe data also revealed contrasting trends between local and imported inflation. In contrast, imported inflation dropped more sharply to 7.4 percent, down from 9.5 percent. These sharp disparities underscore the role of local supply chains, transport costs, and market access in shaping the inflation experience across the country.