Consumer prices index in Turkey recorded the highest annual increase in March 2010 when compared to 27-member European Union, said a report.

"As much as we happy that the CPI figure dropped to single-digit numbers in Turkey, we are still at the last spot in Europe in consumer prices," said the report by the Istanbul-based Okan University Financial Risk Research Center.

Turkey's statistics authority, TurkStat, said Monday annual consumer prices rose 8.58 percent in February.

Annual CPI average in the EU was 1.4 percent as the figure in the crisis-hit Greece was 2.9 percent, the report said.

The basic reason for the single-digit figure was the drop in food prices in March, the report said.

The report said it is expected that the Turkish Central Bank would wait to see figures for the second quarter until it decided on policy rates.


AA