Hong Kong's consumer price inflation accelerated to the highest level in ten months in February, data released by the Census and Statistics Department showed Thursday.

Inflation as per the consumer price index increased to 4.4 percent in February from 3 percent in January, hitting the highest level since May 2012, when prices rose 4.7 percent.

The larger increase was mainly attributable to the difference in the timing of the Lunar New Year, which occurred in February this year but in January last year, resulting in a surge in the charges for package tours, the costs for meals bought away from home, the prices of poultry and the other fresh sea products this year, the agency said.

Food prices rose 5 percent from a year earlier, and housing costs advanced 5.3 percent. Clothing and footwear prices were higher by 1.7 percent than in February 2012, and transportation costs up by 2.2 percent.

During the three months ended February, the seasonally adjusted consumer price index increased on average 0.5 percent sequentially, after growing 0.3 percent in the preceding three-month period, data showed.

RTTNews