HIGHER prices for potatoes due to the summer drought and energy price rises contributed to higher costs for consumers last month.
Consumer prices rose by 0.6pc in the year to November, as rents continued to go up and the price of home heating and electricity increased.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that domestic gas price rises also contributed to the inflation rate.
Potato prices rose 14.2pc due to the lack of rain during the summer, with retailers forced to import the traditional stable of the domestic diet.
