India's July inflation fractionally lower at 9.22 per cent

The annual rate of inflation in the country, based on the wholesale price index (WPI), stood at 9.22 per cent (provisional) in July 2011 against 9.44 per cent (provisional) during the previous month and 9.98 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year.

The official wholesale price index for 'all commodities' (base: 2004-05 = 100) for July 2011 rose 0.7 per cent to 154.0 (provisional) from 153.0 (provisional) in the previous month.

Build-up of inflation so far during the financial year was 3.01 per cent against 3.45 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The index for the `primary articles' group rose 0.2 per cent to 197.9 (provisional) during the month ended 31 July 2011, from 197.5 (provisional) in the previous month.

The index for the 'food articles' group rose 1.4 per cent to 192.8 (provisional) during July 2011, from 190.1 (provisional) in the previous month, due to higher prices of coffee (up 15 per cent), gram (up 8 per cent), fish-fresh water (up 7 per cent), ragi (up 6 per cent), mutton (up 4 per cent), fruits and vegetables (up 3 per cent), barley, bajra and rice (up 2 per cent each) and wheat (up 1 per cent). However, the prices of condiments and spices (down 3 per cent), urad, egg and arhar (down 2 per cent each) and poultry chicken, masur and tea (down 1 per cent) declined during the month.

The index for the 'non-food articles' group declined 3.0 per cent to 175.8 (provisional) during July 2011, from 181.3 (provisional) in the previous month, due to lower prices of raw cotton (down 12 per cent), flowers (down 7 per cent), raw rubber (down 6 per cent), copra (down 4 per cent), soyabean and mesta (down 3 per cent each) and raw jute (down 2 per cent). However, the prices of gaur seed (up 20 per cent), niger seed (up 16 per cent), linseed (up 11 per cent), coir fibre (up 8 per cent), sunflower (up 6 per cent), gingelly seed (up 5 per cent), safflower (up 4 per cent), castor seed (up 3 per cent) and rape and mustard seed, cotton seed, groundnut seed and raw silk (up 1 per cent each) moved up.