Jakarta – Indonesian inflation surged to almost 80 percent in October from a year ago, but dipped slightly from the previous month, official data showed Monday.

The consumer price index rose 79.1 percent in October year-on-year but declined 0.27 percent from September, with raw food prices dropping 1.85 percent, the Central Bureau of Statistics said. The inflation level in the 10 months to October was 75 percent and 37.67 percent in April-October, the bureau's deputy director for National Distribution and Accounts Kusmadi Saleh told a news conference.

Other than raw foods, housing prices were the only group out of the bureau's seven indices to post a decline in October, falling 1.89 percent month-on-month, Kusmadi said. Processed foods, beverages, cigarettes and tobacco prices rose 0.61 percent, while health products and services recorded the highest increase, rising 2.0 percent in October.

"In raw food products, the main contributor to the fall there was rice, which fell 0.58 percent and cooking oil which was down 0.20 percent," Kusmadi said.

The bureau also said in a statement that Indonesia recorded a trade surplus in August of 1.853 billion dollars, compared with 1.453 billion a year earlier and 2.208 billion dollars in July. Total exports in August were 4.034 billion dollars, compared with 4.711 billion dollars a year earlier and 4.655 bbillion dollars in July.

Non-oil and gas exports were 3.425 billion dollars as against 3.859 billion dollars a year earlier and 3.997 billion dollars in July. Non-oil and gas imports were 1.970 billion dollars, compared with 3.042 billion dollars a year earlier and 2.236 billion dollars in July. Exports in the eight months to August were 33.181 billion dollars and imports 17.929 billion dollars, giving a trade suprlus of 15.252 billion dollars for the period.