MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s consumer price index rose 0.44 percent in September, compared to the previous month, bringing the inflation rate over the past 12 months to 4.77 percent, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, or INEGI, said Tuesday.

The agricultural sector posted a rise of 3.55 percent due mainly to an increase in the price of eggs and chicken, the INEGI said in a statement.

Mexico has been dealing over the past few months with an outbreak of avian influenza in the western part of the country, forcing it to purchase eggs and chicken from foreign suppliers, mainly in the United States, to meet domestic demand.

Food, beverage and tobacco prices rose 0.35 percent last month, while the price of services inched up 0.05 percent.

Consumer prices rose 3.82 percent last year, while the inflation rate was running at annualized rate of 3.14 percent in September. EFE