Inflation rate dips to 9.97 per cent in June

The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index stood lower at 9.97 per cent (provisional) in July 2010 against 10.55 per cent (provisional) in the previous month.

The wholesale price-based inflation rate stood at a negative 0.54 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year (July 2009).

Build-up of inflation in the financial year so far was 3.59 per cent against 4.60 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The official wholesale price index of 'all commodities' (base: 1993-94 = 100) for July 2010 rose 1.0 per cent to 262.5 (provisional) from 259.8 (provisional) for the previous month.

The index for the `primary articles' group rose 1.9 per cent to 307.7 (provisional) in July 2010 from 302.1 (provisional) in the previous month.

The index for the 'food articles' group rose 0.9 per cent to 297.9 (provisional) in July 2010 from 295.2 (provisional) in the previous month due to higher prices of maize and poultry chicken (5 per cent each), condiments and spices (4 per cent), mutton (3 per cent), urad, gram, milk, eggs, fish-inland, jowar and wheat (2 per cent each) and bajra and rice (1 per cent each). However, the prices of moong (-4 per cent), fruits and vegetables (-2 per cent) and coffee, masur, arhar and fish-marine (-1 per cent each) declined.