The Central Statistical Office through its monthly survey on consumer prices today announced that the annual rate of inflation, as measured by the all items Consumer Price Index (CPI), reduced by 0.6 percentage points from 16.6 percent in December 2008 to 16.0 percent in January 2009. The decline in the annual inflation rate in January 2009 was mainly due to reductions in the cost of mealie meal, petroleum products and bus fares.