Hong Kong's overall consumer prices rose 4.9 percent in March from a year ago, easing from the average rate of 5.4 percent increase in January and February, thanks to the smaller rise in private housing rentals, the charges for package tours and the prices of cigarettes, the city's statistics department said here Monday.

Combining the figures from January and February as comparison is to avoid the difference in timing of the Lunar New Year in 2011 and 2012.

Netting out the effects of all government's one-off relief measures, the year-on-year rate of increase in the consumer price index (CPI) in March was 5.6 percent, easing from the average rate of 6.1 percent increase in January and February.

Amongst the various CPI components, the food pries in March rose 9.4 percent from a year earlier, followed by housing 6.6 percent, transport 4.3 percent, clothing and footwear 4.0 percent, miscellaneous goods 3.5 percent, and alcoholic drinks and tobacco 1.1 percent.

On the other hand, gas and water prices in March fell 18.6 percent from a year ago, largely due to the government's electricity charge subsidy, followed by durable goods 1.3 percent.

A spokesman from the statistics department said slower year-on- year increases were seen across many major CPI components in March, reflecting a rather broad-based easing in price pressures.

Looking ahead, he said with imported inflation gradually receding upon the peaking of global food and commodity prices last year and with a slowing local economy, inflation should come down further in the period ahead.