The Hindu Business Line : Inflation rises to 4.82 pc on higher fuel prices

Shooting up
Jowar, fruits & vegetables cheaper
Gram, maize, pork, eggs, fish dearer
Edible oils turn more expensive
Rise in prices of copper, zinc, lead & aluminium

New Delhi , Aug 18

The annual wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rose 4.82 per cent during the week ended August 5, higher than the previous week's annual rise of 4.61 per cent.

The inflation rate was at 3.78 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year.

The increase in year-on-year inflation rate was mainly on account of higher fuel and manufactured product prices, according to Government data released on Friday.

Manufactured items up

On a disaggregated basis, the primary articles' group index declined 0.3 per cent to 202.5 points during the week under review.

The manufactured products' index rose 0.2 per cent to 177.2 points while the fuel, power, light and lubricants' group index rose 0.2 per cent to 328.4 points.

Within the primary articles' group, the food articles' index declined 0.3 per cent to 203.7 points.

Prices of jowar fell by three per cent, while fruits and vegetables became cheaper by two per cent each.

However, the prices of gram, maize, pork, eggs and fish-inland moved up by one per cent each.

The index for non-food articles declined by 0.1 per cent to 183.8 points due to lower prices of raw jute (two per cent) and cottonseed and groundnut seed (one per cent each).

However, the prices of copra and castorseed were up one per cent each.

Fuel prices dearer

Within the fuel, power, light and lubricants' group, prices of ATF and furnace oil were up three per cent each, while naphtha and bitumen became marginally costlier by one per cent each.

Within the manufactured products' group, the food products' group rose 0.2 per cent to 181 points due to higher prices of gur and rice bran oil (three per cent each), imported edible oil (two per cent) and groundnut oil, sooji, atta, maida and khandsari (one per cent each). However, the prices of bran declined by two per cent.

The textiles group index rose 0.2 per cent to 130.6 points as synthetic yarn prices rose by two per cent and hessian and sacking bags by one per cent each.

However, the prices of hessian cloth declined by one per cent.

A rise in prices of printing ink (seven per cent) and polystyrene (one per cent) led to a 0.1 per cent higher index for chemicals and chemical products at 195.5 points.

Base metals up

The index for base metal alloys and metal products group rose 0.6 per cent to 229.2 points due to rise in prices of copper bars and rods (33 per cent each), zinc ingots (three per cent), lead ingots (two per cent) and aluminium ingots (one per cent).

However, the prices of ordinary casting declined by four per cent and foundry pig iron, other iron steel and basic pig iron fell by one per cent each.

The final inflation has been revised to 5.29 per cent for the week ended June 10 from the provisional 5.24 per cent estimated earlier. The final WPI index stood at 203.1 points against the provisional 203 points.