India's food price inflation rises again; climbs to 11.49 per cent

Food price inflation in the country reversed its declining trend and climbed to 11.49 per cent during the week ended 12 February 2011, from 11.05 per cent in the previous week, dimming prospects of a single digit run to the year-end.

Food price inflation in the country was 21.82 per cent during the comparable week of the previous year.

The increase in food price inflation during the week has been due to higher prices of milk, jowar and barley and ragi and mutton.

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), however, was lower at 10.95 per cent against 20.56 per cent in the similar period of the previous year.

The index for the 'food articles' group declined 0.3 per cent to 182.4 (provisional) from 182.9 (provisional) in the previous week due to lower prices of fruits and vegetables (down 5 per cent), fish and condiments and spices (down 2 per cent each) and bajra, moong and maize (down 1 per cent each).  However, the prices of milk (up 5 per cent), jowar and mutton (up 2 per cent each) and barley and ragi (up 1 per cent each) moved up.