ZAMBIA's inflation rate has remained the same as recorded last month in June, at 7.3 per cent.

The annual inflation rate, as measured by the all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July 2013, has remained the same as that recorded in June 2013 at 7.3 per cent.

Central Satistics Office (CSO) director John Kalumbi said of the 7.3 per cent annual inflation rate recorded in July 2013, food and non-alcoholic beverage products accounted for 3.8 per centage points, while non-food products accounted for a total of 3.5 percentage points.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Kalumbi said that meant that on average, prices increased by 7.3 per cent between July, 2012 and July, 2013.

"The annual non-food inflation rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points from 7.6 per cent in June 2013 to 7.4 per cent in July 2013.

This implies that the annual non-food inflation slowed down by 0.2 percentage points from 7.6 per cent in June to 7.4 per cent in July 2013," Mr Kalumbi said.

He said the month-on-month inflation rate was recorded at 0.7 in July, 2013 compared to 0.4 per cent in June, 2013, indicating an increase of 0.3 percentage points.

Mr Kalumbi said between June, 2013 and July 2013, the non-food inflation rate increased by o.2 percentage points from 0.3 per cent in June, 2013 to 0.5 per cent in July, 2013.

In terms of comparison of retail prices between June and July 2013, Mr Kalumbi said the national average price of breakfast mealie-meal of a 25 kilogramme bag increased by 1.5 per cent from K59.41 to K60.31, while the price of a 25 Kilogramme roller meal increased by 0.2 per cent from K44.97 to K45.86.

He said the national average price of a 20 litre tin of maize grain increased by 5.1 per cent from K22.64 to K23.80 between June and July, 2013.

Mr Kalumbi said Lusaka had the largest provincial contribution of 2.2 percentage points to the overall annual inflation rate followed by the Copperbelt with 1.6 percentage points.

"Luapula and North-Western provinces had the largest contribution of 0.3 percentage points each," he said.