The Hindu Business Line : Inflation up on higher food prices

The annual wholesale price index(WPI)-based inflation rose 5.32 per cent during the week ended December 9, higher than the previous week's annual rise of 5.16 per cent.

VEGETABLES DEARER

The increase in the year-onyear inflation rate was mainly due to a rise in prices of food items, including some vegetable products, Government data showed on Friday.

During the latest reported week, the WPI for all commodities ended at 207.7 points. It was at 197.2 points a year ago.

The annual inflation rate was 4.39 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year.

On a disaggregated basis, the primary articles' group index was up 0.1 per cent to 212.1 points as prices rose for food and non-food items, from 195.8 points a year ago.

FUEL STATIC

The fuel, power, light and lubricants' group index remained unchanged at the previous week's level of 322.6 points.The index was at 310.7 points during the corresponding previous period.

METALS EASE

The manufacturing products' group index declined by 0.2 per cent to 180.5 points (172.4 points) as prices eased for food products, textiles and base metals.

Within the primary articles' group, the food articles' group index increased marginally by 0.05 per cent to 214.1 points due to higher prices of jowar (four per cent), vegetables (1.7 per cent) and fruits (0.5 per cent).

URAD CHEAPER

However, the prices declined for urad (four per cent), fishmarine (three per cent), arhar and eggs (two per cent each) and moong and gram (one per cent each).

The index for the non-food articles group was up 0.1 per cent to 190 points due to higher prices of raw rubber (five per cent) and niger seed and raw jute (one per cent each). But prices moved up for copra (three per cent), cottonseed (two per cent) and gingelly seed (one per cent each).

Within the manufactured products' group, the food products' group index declined 0.7 per cent to 184.1 points owing to a fall in prices of rice bran oil (five per cent), oil cakes (four per cent) and gingelly oil and ghee (one per cent each).