BEIJING - China's consumer inflation accelerated in January on surging food prices, adding pressure for the government to tackle escalating inflation amid the nation's spreading winter drought.

The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 4.9 percent in January year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics announced Tuesday.

The figure is 0.3 percentage points higher than that of December.

Food prices soared 10.3 percent year-on-year.

 

PPI up 6.6%

The producer price index (PPI), a major measure of inflation at the wholesale level, rose 6.6 percent in January year-on-year.

The January PPI was 0.9 percent up from the previous month, said a statement on the NBS website.