The Hindu Business Line : Cheaper manufactured items peg down inflation

Up & down
Primary Articles group index up 0.6 pc
Prices up for salt 8% & benzene 6%
Rates down for unblended tea leaf 23% & soy oil 7%

New Delhi , April 7

The annual wholesale price index-based inflation rose 3.96 per cent during the week ending March 25, slowing from the previous week's annual rise of 4.06 per cent.

The dip in the year-on-year inflation rate was largely due to lower manufactured product prices, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) fell 0.2 per cent to 197 points during the latest reported week. The index stood at 189.5 points a year ago. The inflation rate was at 5.10 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year.

On a disaggregated basis, the Primary Articles' group index rose 0.6 per cent to 193.1 points during the latest reported week. The fuel, power, light and lubricants group index remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 316.3 points.

The manufactured products' group index declined 0.6 per cent to 171.7 points.

Among the Primary Articles' group, the Food Articles' group index rose 0.8 per cent to 195.3 points due to higher prices of condiments and spices (3 per cent), moong, fish-inland, arhar and fruits and vegetables (2 per cent each) and urad, mutton, wheat, pork and gram (1 per cent each). However, the prices of jowar declined one per cent.

The index for Non-Food Articles' group rose by 0.1 per cent to 174.7 points due to higher prices of mesta, rapeseed and mustard seed and safflower (one per cent each).

However, the prices of raw silk (16 per cent), sunflower (3 per cent) and cottonseed (1 per cent) declined.

Among the Manufactured Products' group, the index for `Food Products' group declined by 1.3 per cent to 178.3 points due to lower prices of unblended black tea leaf (23 per cent), soyabean oil (7 per cent) and unrefined oil, khandsari, coconut oil, biscuits and oil cakes (1 per cent each). However, the prices of salt (8 per cent), rice bran oil (4 per cent) and gingelly oil (1 per cent) moved up.

The index for the Leather and Leather Products' group declined by 5.1 per cent to 159.5 points due to lower prices of footwear western type.

The Government also revised downwards the final inflation figure to 4.04 per cent for the week ended January 28 from provisional 4.30 per cent, while WPI stood corrected at 195.9 points as against the earlier estimate of 196.4 points.