India's food price inflation falls further to 9.18 per cent

Food price inflation in the country, which remained unsteady with volatility in food prices, declined further to 9.18 per cent during the week ended 26 March 2011 from 9.50 per cent in the previous week.

Food price inflation in the country stood at 21.15 per cent during the comparable week of the previous year.

The index for the 'food articles' group, however, rose slightly during the week due to higher prices of fish and meat, fruits and vegetables, bajra and coffee.

Food articles have a weight of 14.34 in the wholesale price index (WPI) of commodities while primary articles have a weight of 20.12, non-food articles a weight of 4.26 and fuel and power group a weight of 14.91.

Build-up of inflation for the `food articles' group so far during the current financial year (beginning 1 April 2010) was also at 9.18 per cent against 21.15 per cent in the similar period of the previous year.

The index for the 'food articles' group rose 0.4 per cent to 179.5 (provisional) from 178.7 (provisional) in the previous week due to higher prices of coffee (up 14 per cent), fish (up 4 per cent), poultry chicken (up 3 per cent) and fruits and vegetables, mutton, bajra and fish-inland (up 1 per cent each). However, the prices of barley and gram (down 2 per cent each) and condiments and spices, arhar, egg, ragi, rice, masur, wheat, beef and buffalo meat, jowar and maize (down 1 per cent each) declined.