Mauritius' inflation rate eases to 1.9 pct .

Mauritius' annual average inflation eased to 1.9 percent in March from 2.1 percent in February, official data showed on Monday.
The central statistics office said in a statement that decreases in the price of furnishing and household equipment in March cushioned the rising costs of food, non-alcoholic beverages and recreation and culture.
"The headline inflation rate for the twelve months ending March 2010 works out to 1.9 percent," it said.
Month-on-month, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages climbed by 0.5 percent, while clothing and footwear costs were up 0.3 percent.
Health costs rose by 0.2 percent compared with February while furnishing and household equipment costs declined by 0.2 percent.
Overall, the Consumer Price Index increased to 118.8 in March from 118.6 a month earlier, the statistics office said.
The Bank of Mauritius forecasts headline annual inflation will accelerate to 3 percent by June 2010.