Weekly food price inflation declines to 17.28 per cent
14 Jan 2010
The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index of food articles (base: 1993-94=100) declined to 17.28 per cent during the week ended 2 January 2010 from 18.22 per cent during the previous week. Food price inflation stood at 11.48 per cent in the comparable week a year ago (week ended 3 January 2009).
The wholesale price index for the 'food articles' group rose 0.4 per cent to 285.8 (provisional) during the week from 284.8 (provisional) in the previous week due to higher prices of masur (10 per cent), arhar (8 per cent), fish-marine (4 per cent), ragi, maize, urad and moong (2 per cent each) and milk and wheat (1 per cent each). However, the prices of tea (-3 per cent) and fruits and vegetables (-2 per cent) declined.
The inflation rate based on the wholesale price index of the `primary articles' group as a whole stood at 13.82 per cent (provisional) during the week ended 2 January 2010 against 14.39 per cent (provisional) in the previous week and 12.06 per cent in the corresponding week of the previous year (ended 3 January 2009).
The index of the primary articles group rose 0.4 per cent to 283.4 (provisional) during the week ended 2 January 2010 from 282.2 (provisional) in the previous week.
The index for the 'non-food articles' group rose 0.7 per cent to 253.2 (provisional) from 251.4 (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of mesta (15 per cent), soyabean (5 per cent), niger seed (4 per cent), raw silk (3 per cent) and linseed, groundnut seed, rape and mustard seed and raw rubber (1 per cent each). However, the prices of fodder and copra (-2 per cent each) and castor seed (-1 per cent) declined.
The index for the `fuel, power, light and lubricants' group rose 1.1 per cent to 350.1 (provisional) from 346.2 (provisional) in the previous week due to higher prices of naphtha (18 per cent), bitumen (4 per cent) and furnace oil (2 per cent). However, the prices of aviation turbine fuel (-4 per cent) and light diesel oil (-1 per cent) declined.
The annual rate of inflation based on the WPI of all the above groups stood at 6.25 per cent (provisional) during the week ended 2 January 2010 against 4.85 per cent (provisional) during the previous week (ended 26 December 2009) and (-)1.41 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year (ended 3 January 2009).