Mumbai: The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index rose to a fresh 3.5- year high at 7.61 per cent for the week ended 26 April, marginally higher than the 7.57 per cent for the week earlier, on the back of rising prices of tea, spices, fruits, vegetables and some manufactured products.

The rate of inflation, which was 6.01 per cent a year-ago, had last reached a high of 7.76 per cent for the week ended 6 November 2004.

Despite a slew of measures announced by the government and the Reserve Bank of India to check price rise, the wholesale price-based index rose 0.04 percentage points from 7.57 per cent in the previous week. (See: Monetary Policy 2008-09: Between a rock and a hard place)

Prices of primary articles, with 22 per cent weight in the inflation basket, rose 8.8 per cent in the week from a year ago.

During the week, tea prices were higher by 11 per cent, fruits and vegetables by one per cent, fish marine by two per cent, spices and cardamom by three per cent. However, prices of pulses declined by nearly one per cent.

Among manufactured products, prices of mustard oil and imported edible oil went up by one per cent and four per cent respectively.

At the same time, cement, aluminium ingots and other aluminium materials hardened. However, steel prices declined during the week.

The government this week extended a ban on futures trading to four more  agriculture commodities - gram, soya oil, potato and rubber – in yet another bid to check price rise

Earlier, the government had announced a slew of measures costing more than Rs6,300 crore of revenue to contain inflation.

The Reserve Bank of India also increased cash reserve ratio for banks in quick succession to 8.25 per cent, to suck out Rs27,500 crore from the banking system.

 The government has pledged to bring inflation down to four per cent to protect consumers.

India is the world's biggest buyer of vegetable oil after China and relies on crude oil from overseas to meet three-quarters of its energy needs.

India is also importing pulses and edible oils this year to augment local stocks.