The monthly inflation rate upped by 0.8 perecent in March compared to the previous month, according to a statement by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) issued Wednesday. The annual inflation rate also increased by 8.2 percent in March compared to the corresponding period of 2012, the statement added. Prices of food and beverages took an upturn in March by 1.6 percent compared to the month before and by 9.5 percent compared to the corresponding period of last year, Abu Bakr el-Gindi, head of the CAPMAS, told MENA.