New
Delhi: The annual wholesale price index- (WPI) based
inflation fell to a 31-week low of 5.6 per cent for the
week ended January 8, from 5.78 per cent recorded during
the previous week. The fall recorded in the point-to-point
inflation rate was largely on account of a drop in prices
of some food articles, according to data released by the
ministry of commerce and industry yesterday.
According
to the data, the WPI stood unchanged at the previous week's
188.6 points but was higher than 178.6 a year ago. The
'primary articles' group index dipped by 0.1 per cent
to 185.9 points as food articles turned cheaper, while
non-food articles prices were up by 0.3 per cent.
The
'fuel, power, light and lubricants' group' index was up
by 0.2 per cent to 288.1 due to a hike in electricity
prices by 1 per cent, though aviation turbine fuel (ATF)
turned cheaper by 21 per cent. The manufactured products
group index rose by 0.1 per cent to 167.4 due to costlier
food products, paper and machinery.
Among
the 'primary articles' group, the food articles group
index declined to 184.4 due to cheaper fish-marine (8
per cent), tea (4 per cent), fish-inland, masur,
condiments and spices (2 per cent each), jowar
and urad (1 per cent each). However, prices rose
for ragi (4 per cent), poultry chicken (3 per cent),
vegetables, mutton, moong and rice (1 per cent
each). The 'non-food articles' group index grew to 182.2
owing to higher prices of sunflower (12 per cent), niger
seed (2 per cent), raw silk and raw jute (1 per cent each).
But prices of castor seed, soyabean, hides and cottonseed
fell by 1 per cent.
Among
the 'manufactured products' group, the 'food product'
group index rose by 1.1 per cent to 177.1 due to higher
prices of khandsari and sugar (4 per cent), solvent
extracted groundnut oil and bran (2 per cent each), gur
and unrefined oil (1 per cent each). However, prices fell
for sooji (2 per cent) and groundnut oil (1 per
cent).
The
'textiles' group index dipped by 0.4 per cent due to a
fall in prices of cotton yarn hanks, cotton yarn-cones,
hessian cloth and nylon filament yarn (by one per cent
in each case). Newsprint prices were up by 1 per cent,
propping up the group index for 'paper and paper products'
by 0.1 per cent. The 'chemicals and chemicals' products
group index fell by 0.3 per cent to 183.5 due to a fall
in the prices of benzene (19 per cent), phenol (9 per
cent), epoxy resins (6 per cent), liquid chlorine (3 per
cent) and synthetic rubber (1 per cent). Cement prices
fell by 1 per cent pushing down the non-metallic mineral
product group index by 0.3 per cent to 156.4 during the
week.
The
'base metals, alloys and metal products' group index fell
marginally to 206.4 due to lower prices of mild steel
bars and rounds (3 per cent), other iron steel, basic
pig iron and foundary pig iron (1 per cent each). However,
prices of aluminium ingots and other materials moved up
by 1 per cent. The 'machinery and machine tools' group
index was up by 0.1 per cent to 142.4 due to higher prices
of cables (3 per cent), PVC insulated cables, enamelled
copper wires and rubber-insulated cables (1 per cent each).
The
government also revised upward the WPI figure to 190.6
during the week ended November 13, while correcting the
inflation to 7.68 per cent as against the provisional
figure of 7.34.
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