Consumer inflation in Sri Lanka accelerated to 70.2% in August, the statistics department said on Wednesday, as the island nation reels under its worst economic crisis in decades. The National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) rose 70.2% last month from a year earlier, after a 66.7% increase in July, the Department of Census and Statistics said in a statement. Food prices climbed 84.6%, while prices of non-food items rose 57.1%. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) said in August that the inflation rate would moderate after peaking at about 70% as the country's economy slowed.