Inflation rate hits double-digit at 10.16 per cent in May

The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index (WPI) of commodities rose to 10.16 per cent (provisional) in May 2010 from 9.59 per cent (provisional) in the previous month.

Inflation rate stood at 1.38 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year.

Build-up of inflation in the financial year so far was 1.85 per cent against a build-up of 2.67 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The official wholesale price index of 'all commodities' (base: 1993-94 = 100) for May 2010 rose 1.7 per cent to 258.1 (provisional) from 253.7 (provisional) in the previous month (April 2010).

The index for the `primary articles' group rose 3.5 per cent to 299.9 (provisional) from 289.7 (provisional) in the previous month.

Among primary articles, the index for the 'food articles' group rose 0.8 per cent to 294.6 (provisional) from 292.4  (provisional) in the previous month due to higher prices of tea (21 per cent), urad (5 per cent), fish-marine (4 per cent),  moong, condiments and spices and mutton (3 per cent each), poultry chicken, fruits and vegetables, arhar, fish-inland and beef and buffalo meat (2 per cent each) and gram (1 per cent). However, the prices of wheat (-3 per cent), coffee, jowar, barley and masur (-2 per cent each) and maize and ragi (-1 per cent each) declined.