Year-on-year inflation in Bulgaria remained unchanged at 12.5 per cent in January, according to preliminary data made public by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on February 13 2008.

January inflation was 1.4 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent a month earlier.

Food prices once again were the main driver of inflation, rising by 2.0 per cent for the month. Services prices went up by 1.5 per cent and non-food goods were 0.8 per cent higher.

Final data for January would be released next month, at the same time with February figures, NSI said.

Harmonised inflation, the figure calculated by the statistics board for comparison with inflation in the EU, was 1.5 per cent in January and 11.7 per cent year-on-year, compared to 1.1 per cent for the month and 11.6 per cent year-on-year in December.

The Cabinet targets reducing harmonised inflation figure to 4.5 per cent for the year.

Officials have blamed last year's drought and floods for the rising food prices, which grew by 20.7 per cent over the previous 12 months, causing inflation to overshoot the Government's original 4.4 per cent target for 2007.