Food inflation cools off to a 4-year low of 1.81% for week ended Dec 10

22 Dec 2011 Evaluate

India’s weekly food inflation, measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), sliding for sixth successive week, cooled off to a nearly four-year low of 1.81% for the week ended December 10, its lowest rate since the week ended February 9, 2008, when it stood at 2.26%. The decline was mainly on the back of declining prices of essential items like vegetables, onion and potato.  Food inflation was 4.35% in the previous week. It had stood at 13.22% in the corresponding week of 2010.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the index for ‘Food Articles’ group declined by 0.5% to 191.0 (Provisional) from 191.9 (Provisional) for the previous week to lower prices of fruits and vegetables and condiments and spices (2% each) and ragi, tea and rice (1% each).  However, the prices of jowar, gram and masur (2% each) and fish-inland, poultry chicken and fish-marine (1% each) moved up.

The index for 'Non-Food Articles' group declined by 0.6% to 177.4 (Provisional) from 178.4 (Provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of flowers (13%), cotton seed (7%), sunflower (4%) and coir fibre,  copra  and gingelly seed (2% each). However, the prices of gaur seed (5 %), soyabean (4%), raw silk (2%) and linseed, raw rubber, castor seed, rape and mustard seed and groundnut seed (1% each) moved up.

As a result the index for ‘Primary Articles’ which accounts for 20.12% of the WPI declined by 0.2% to 197.7 (Provisional) from 198.1 (Provisional) for the previous week. The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point to point basis, stood at 3.78% (Provisional) for the week ended December 10, 2011 as compared to 5.48% (Provisional) for the previous week ended December 3, 2011.

Meanwhile, the index and annual rate of inflation calculated on point to point basis for ‘Fuel and Power’ group, which accounts for 14.91% of WPI, remained unchanged at their previous week’s level of 172.4 (Provisional) and 15.24% (Provisional) for the week ended December 10, 2011.

The sharp fall in food inflation numbers, which were in double-digit till the first week of November are seen as a big relief to both the government and the Reserve Bank who have been battling high prices for over two years. In a bid to rein inflation, RBI has hiked key policy rates by 13 times since March 2010. However, this time around, the RBI has kept policy rates on hold at its policy review last Friday, sending a strong signal that its next move is likely to be an easing of monetary policy as risks to growth increase.

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