Sri Lanka's National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) surged 70.2% year-on-year in August after a 66.7% rise in July, the statistics department said on Wednesday.

Food inflation climbed 84.6% in August, while non-food inflation was up 57.1%, the Department of Census and Statistics said in a statement .

The NCPI captures broader retail price inflation across the island nation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month.

The Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI), released at the end of each month, is more closely monitored. It acts as a lead indicator for broader national prices and shows how inflation is evolving in Colombo, Sri Lanka's biggest city.

 

 

(Reporting by Chris Thomas in Bengaluru, Editing by Louise Heavens)