Mumbai: The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index rose to 12.63 per cent during the week ended 9 August, up 0.19 per cent from 12.44 in the previous week, as prices continued to rise.

The current spike has been due mainly to rising prices of food items like fruits, vegetables and milk during the period, official data showed. Prices of commodities like tea, pulses, cotton yarn and cement also rose.

Inflation was 4.24 per cent during the corresponding week last year.

Prices of cotton yarn was up by eight per cent during the week while polyester became dearer by seven per cent.

Among food articles, tea became costlier by two per cent and milk turned expensive by one per cent. Prices of pulses and mustard oil too firmed up by one per cent each.

Prices of imported edible oil, however, declined by six per cent, while sunflower oil became cheaper by 2 per cent during the week.

In addition, prices of sea fish, egg and meat too declined marginally during the week.

The annual rate of inflation for the week ended 14 June, when the impact of increase in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas became visible, was revised from 11.42 per cent to 11.80 per cent.

A finance ministry statement, however, claim that the inflation based on the prices of 30 essential commodities continued to be range bound at 5.7 per cent to 6.7 per cent for 19 weeks of the current fiscal.