New Delhi: The
annual wholesale price index (WPI) for the week ended
December 4 fell for the second consecutive week to 7.02
per cent as against 7.3 per cent during the previous week.
The
point-to-point inflation fell by 0.28 per cent as vegetable
prices fell by almost eight per cent and the prices of
fuel products also declined, according to data released
on yesterday by the ministry of commerce and industry.
Inflation
was at 5.56 per cent during the corresponding period last
year. The WPI fell by 0.3 per cent to 189.1 points, even
as the index of heavy-weighted manufactured products''
group remained unchanged at the previous week''s level.
The
index of Primary Articles'' group was down by over one
per cent to 187.8 points due to an all-round decline in
the prices of food and non-food items. Fuel, Power, Light
and Lubricants'' group index was down by 0.2 per cent to
289.2 points on account of a fall in the prices of aviation
turbine fuel (eight per cent), furnace oil (two per cent)
and naphtha (one per cent).
The
index of Manufactured Products'' group remained firm at
the previous week''s level of 167.2 points, even as food
products, rubber and chemicals became cheaper, while there
was an increase in the case of textiles, paper, base metals,
non-metallic minerals, machinery and transport equipment.
In
the Primary Articles'' group, Food Articles'' group, the
index fell by 1.3 per cent to 187.8 points due to lower
prices of poultry chicken (13 per cent), vegetables (eight
per cent), fish-marine (five per cent), eggs (three per
cent), fruits (two per cent) and tea, arhar and urad (one
per cent each), while the prices moved up for barley (two
per cent) and jowar, bajra and maize (one per cent each).
The
index of Non-Food Articles'' group fell marginally by 0.6
per cent to 181.1 points due to cheaper gingelly seed
(six per cent), raw cotton (three per cent) and rape and
mustard seed, castor seed and cottonseed (two per cent
each) and raw rubber (one per cent).
Amongst
the Manufactured Products'' group, Food Products'' group
the index was down by 0.1 per cent at 175.2 points due
to lower prices of gur (four per cent) and groundnut oil
(one per cent), even as the prices rose for bran (four
per cent) and gingelly oil (one per cent). The index for
Textiles'' group rose by 0.1 per cent to 136.5 points due
to costlier tyre cord fabric (35 per cent) and hessian,
sacking bags and hessian cloth (one per cent each).
A
two per cent hike in the prices of map litho paper pushed
up Paper and Paper Products'' group index by 0.1 per cent
to 174.6 points. A four per cent fall in the prices of
decorative laminates pushed down Rubber and Plastic Products''
group index by 0.1 per cent to 133 points.
The Chemicals and Chemical Products'' group index fell
by 0.3 per cent to 181.9 points due to cheaper epoxy resins
(21 per cent), benzene (five per cent) and PVC resins
and purified terephthalic acid (two per cent each).
A
one per cent rise in cement prices pushed up Non-Metallic
Mineral Products'' group index by 0.7 per cent to 155.7
points. Base Metals Alloys and Metal Products'' group index
rose marginally to 206.4 points due to higher prices of
steel furniture (eight per cent) and zinc (six per cent).
The
index for Machinery and Machine Tools group rose by 0.1
per cent to 142.1 points due to higher prices of mono
bloc pumps (five per cent) and complete tractors (one
per cent). Transport Equipment
and Parts'' group index rose by 0.1 per cent to 155.7 points
due to one per cent hike in the prices of motorcycles.
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