Inflation rate edges up to 0.92 per cent

The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index stood at 0.92 per cent (provisional) for the week ended 3 October 2009 as compared to 0.70 per cent (provisional) for the previous week (ended 26 September 2009) and 11.49 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year (ended 4 October 2008).

Built-up inflation in the financial year so far stood at 5.82 per cent compared to 5.73 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year. The 52-week average inflation for the week ended 3 October 2009 stood at 2.66 per cent.

The official wholesale price index for 'all commodities' (Base: 1993-94 = 100) for the week under review declined 0.5 per cent to 241.9 (provisional) from 243.0 (provisional) for the previous week.

The index for the primary articles group declined 1.4 per cent to 272.8 (provisional) from 276.8 (provisional) for the previous week.

Among primary articles, the index for the 'food articles' group declined 1.7 per cent to 277.0 (provisional) from 281.7 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of fruits and vegetables (-8 per cent), maize (-3 per cent), bajra (-2 per cent) and arhar, masur and gram (-1 per cent each). However, the prices of mutton (2 per cent) and milk, urad and moong (1 per cent each) moved up.

The index for the 'non-food articles' group declined 1.1 per cent to 237.3 (provisional) from 239.9 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of fodder (-8 per cent), groundnut seed (-5 per cent), raw silk (-2 per cent) and rape and mustard seed (-1 per cent). However, the prices of linseed (2 per cent) moved up.