Food inflation languishes in negative zone; moderates for tenth week in a row

12 Jan 2012 Evaluate

India’s weekly food inflation, measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), extended the declining streak for the tenth week in a row and remained in negative zone for second straight week to -2.90% for the week ended Dec 31 from -3.36% for the previous week thanks to sharp decline in the prices of vegetables, especially onions and potatoes. The food inflation turned negative in the week ended Dec 24 for the first time in almost six years.

The sharp slump in the rate of price rise of food items in last two months has come as a sigh of relief for economic policymakers and also the government who had been battling to control the rampant inflationary pressure on the economy since two years. In a bid to rein inflation, RBI hiked key policy rates by 13 times since March 2010 only to pause the liquidity tightening measures in its recent meeting.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the index for ‘Food Articles’ group rose by 0.4% to 190.8 from 190.0 for the previous week due to higher prices of fish-marine (5%), mutton (4%), barley, poultry chicken, gram and jower (2% each) and bajra, maize, milk and egg (1% each).  However, the prices of tea (3%), condiments & spices and ragi (2% each) and fish-inland and fruits & vegetables (1% each) declined.

The index for ‘Non-Food Articles’ group rose by 1.3 percent to 181.0 from 178.7 for the previous week due to higher prices of flowers (19%), sunflower (7%), linseed and guar seed (4% each), raw silk (3%), soyabean, groundnut seed and fodder (2% each) and rape & mustard seed and gingelly seed (1% each).  However, the prices of raw rubber (2%) and copra, safflower, coir fibre and mesta (1% each) declined.

As a result, the index for ‘Primary Articles’, which accounts for 20.12% of the WPI, rose by 0.5% for the week ended Dec 31 to 198.6 from 197.6 for the previous week. The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point to point basis, stood at 0.51% for the period under consideration as compared to 0.10% for the previous week. Meanwhile, the index for Fuel & Power group which carries a weightage remained unchanged at its previous closing levels of 172.7 in the week.

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