Italy's South worst hit by low inflation rates, says Istat

(ANSA) - Rome, January 15 - The South of Italy has been the worst hit of all Italian regions by weak inflation in 2015, national statistics bureau Istat said Friday.
    Four out of seven regions in the Mezzogiorno experienced inflation levels lower than the national average.
    Among these, Calabria experienced the lowest level, registering -0.1%, compared to +0.6% in 2014.
    Depreciating oil prices is among the factors hampering inflation, according to consumer rights group Codacons.
    President Carlo Rienzi said: "The sharp depreciation of oil - prices have fallen by more than 30% in a year - has had a devastating effect on inflation, bringing the average rate to 0.1% in 2015." However, he predicted inflation would rise in 2016 to "acceptable levels".
    Meanwhile, prices of food products and alcoholic drinks rose 14 times more than the average rate of inflation, according to agricultural lobby group Coldiretti, which analysed the Istat data.
    However, the group said that food businesses had not seen the benefits of the increase in prices and were often paid a sum below the cost of production.