KYIV, Apr. 3 (AP) – A senior Ukrainian official on Tuesday said inflation was sharply down from a year ago, just 2.7 percent in the first quarter of 2001 and 0.6 percent in March.
Over January through March, food prices rose 3.6 percent, while prices on other goods went up 0.3 percent, First Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov. Prices for services rose 1.6 percent, he said.
Yekhanurov said year-end inflation was expected to total 13.6 percent, in line with the government forecast of 12 to 15 percent.
Annual inflation in Ukraine has fallen sharply since 1994, when it skyrocketed to more than 10,000 percent. Inflation in 1999 was 19.2 percent, but it went up to 25.8 percent in 2000 due to major hikes in the prices of foodstuffs and services.
Ukraine is still trying to revive its economy following the 1991 Soviet collapse. The first signs of progress emerged in 1999, and last year the country posted a 6 percent growth.
