Mumbai: The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index (WPI) fell to 5.77 per cent during the week ended April 21 from 6.09 per cent in the previous week due mainly to a fall in the prices of some food products and manufactured items.

The rate of inflation stood at 3.85 per cent during the same period a year ago

While prices of cereals, pulses, eggs, meat and fish declined, those of vegetables, fruits, condiments and spices rose, official data showed.

Prices of food products within manufactured commodities also declined due to lower prices of sunflower oil, imported edible oil, non-blended black tea leaf, oil cakes and gur.

However, prices of fodder, vermiculite, steel ingots and furnace oil went up, while those of gingelly seeds and some textile products like hessian and sacking bags declined.

According to the provisional data released by Central Statistical Organisation, the official wholesale price index (WPI) for `all commodities` for the week ended April 21 2007` remained unchanged at its previous week''s level of 210.9.

Moreover, the data has shown that index for fuel, power, light and lubricants rose marginally to 320.5 from 320.4 for the previous week due to higher prices of furnace oil.

It may noted further that the index for manufactured products which has 63.75 per cent weightage in the WPI declined 0.1 per cent to 183.5 from 183.6 for the previous week.