Weekly food inflation jumps to 12.21% for week ended October 22

03 Nov 2011 Evaluate

India’s weekly food inflation measured by Wholesale Price Index (WPI), jumped to nine month high level at 12.21% for the week ended on October 22, compared to 11.43% in the last week. The jump in weekly food inflation was mainly because of increase in prices of vegetables, fruits, milk and protein-rich items.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the index for ‘Food Articles’ group rose by 0.7 % to 202.2 (Provisional) from 200.8  (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of fish-inland (9%), poultry chicken and fish-marine (4% each), egg, condiments & spices and ragi (2% each) and gram, tea and bajra (1% each).  However, the prices of moong (3%), masur (2%) and barley, arhar, urad and fruits & vegetables (1% each) declined.

However, the index for 'Non-Food Articles' group declined by 1.4 % to 177.2 (Provisional) from 179.7  (Provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of flowers (20%), raw silk (9%), raw jute (4%), castor seed (3%), sunflower, raw cotton and raw rubber (2% each) and rape & mustard seed (1%). However, the prices of soyabean (4%), gaur seed (3%) and copra and groundnut seed (1% each) moved up.

As a result the index for ‘Primary Articles’ which account for 20.12% of the WPI rose by 0.2 % to 205.0 (Provisional) from 204.5 (Provisional) for the previous week. The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point to point basis, stood at 12.08 % (Provisional) for the week ended October 22 over as compared to 11.75 % (Provisional) for the previous week. 

Meanwhile, the index for ‘Fuel and Power’ group, which account for 14.91% of WPI, declined by 0.2 % to 169.8 (Provisional) from 170.1 (Provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of light diesel oil (5%), furnace oil, naphtha and aviation turbine fuel (1% each).  However, the prices of bitumen (1%) moved up. The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point to point basis, stood at 14.50 % (Provisional) for the week ended October 22 as compared to 14.70 % (Provisional) for the previous week.

The food inflation which is almost twice the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) comfort zone is matter of concern for policy making authorities. In order to control inflation, the RBI has increased its key policy rates for 13 times since March 2010, however, this attempt of RBI has failed as inflation continues its upward trajectory. However, the apex bank expects inflation to start moderating from December.

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