Consumer prices have risen by 3.5 percent since the start of the year. In March, consumer prices were rising by an average of 0.024 percent a day. The Reference Consumer Price Index was 100.7 percent in March, and 102.4 percent – in January-March.

According to the State Statistics Service, inflation was more than 1 percent in 23 regions of Russia in March. The Amur region and the Chukotka Autonomous Region were affected the most – inflation there was 1.8 percent and 1.6 respectively.

In Moscow, consumer prices increased 0.7 percent in March (in January-March - 3.4 percent), and in St. Petersburg – by 0.9 percent (in January-March – by 3.8 percent).

A rise in food prices was largely due to a 5 percent increase in fruit and vegetable prices, according to the State Statistics Service. The price for wheat flour jumped 4.6 percent in March 2004 (in January-March – 14.7 percent). However, the State Statistics Service reports that the price of bread was rising slower in March 2004 than in the previous month.