JAKARTA - Indonesian inflation rose to 4.5 per cent in April, driven by higher food prices, the government said Tuesday.

The consumer price index (CPI) was up 4.5 per cent from a year earlier, an increase from the 3.97 per cent recorded in March, the Central Statistics Agency said.

Staples such as garlic, chilli, sugar, onion and cooking oil were behind the inflationary push, said the agency's head Suryamin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

The April CPI rose 0.21 per cent on-month compared with 0.07 per cent rise in March, the agency said.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, hit 4.24 per cent year-on-year in April, slightly lower than 4.25 per cent in the previous month.