New Delhi: The annual wholesale price index (WPI) for the week ended December 4 fell for the second consecutive week to 7.02 per cent as against 7.3 per cent during the previous week.

The point-to-point inflation fell by 0.28 per cent as vegetable prices fell by almost eight per cent and the prices of fuel products also declined, according to data released on yesterday by the ministry of commerce and industry.

Inflation was at 5.56 per cent during the corresponding period last year. The WPI fell by 0.3 per cent to 189.1 points, even as the index of heavy-weighted manufactured products'' group remained unchanged at the previous week''s level.

The index of Primary Articles'' group was down by over one per cent to 187.8 points due to an all-round decline in the prices of food and non-food items. Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants'' group index was down by 0.2 per cent to 289.2 points on account of a fall in the prices of aviation turbine fuel (eight per cent), furnace oil (two per cent) and naphtha (one per cent).

The index of Manufactured Products'' group remained firm at the previous week''s level of 167.2 points, even as food products, rubber and chemicals became cheaper, while there was an increase in the case of textiles, paper, base metals, non-metallic minerals, machinery and transport equipment.

In the Primary Articles'' group, Food Articles'' group, the index fell by 1.3 per cent to 187.8 points due to lower prices of poultry chicken (13 per cent), vegetables (eight per cent), fish-marine (five per cent), eggs (three per cent), fruits (two per cent) and tea, arhar and urad (one per cent each), while the prices moved up for barley (two per cent) and jowar, bajra and maize (one per cent each).

The index of Non-Food Articles'' group fell marginally by 0.6 per cent to 181.1 points due to cheaper gingelly seed (six per cent), raw cotton (three per cent) and rape and mustard seed, castor seed and cottonseed (two per cent each) and raw rubber (one per cent).

Amongst the Manufactured Products'' group, Food Products'' group the index was down by 0.1 per cent at 175.2 points due to lower prices of gur (four per cent) and groundnut oil (one per cent), even as the prices rose for bran (four per cent) and gingelly oil (one per cent). The index for Textiles'' group rose by 0.1 per cent to 136.5 points due to costlier tyre cord fabric (35 per cent) and hessian, sacking bags and hessian cloth (one per cent each).

A two per cent hike in the prices of map litho paper pushed up Paper and Paper Products'' group index by 0.1 per cent to 174.6 points. A four per cent fall in the prices of decorative laminates pushed down Rubber and Plastic Products'' group index by 0.1 per cent to 133 points. The Chemicals and Chemical Products'' group index fell by 0.3 per cent to 181.9 points due to cheaper epoxy resins (21 per cent), benzene (five per cent) and PVC resins and purified terephthalic acid (two per cent each).

A one per cent rise in cement prices pushed up Non-Metallic Mineral Products'' group index by 0.7 per cent to 155.7 points. Base Metals Alloys and Metal Products'' group index rose marginally to 206.4 points due to higher prices of steel furniture (eight per cent) and zinc (six per cent).

The index for Machinery and Machine Tools group rose by 0.1 per cent to 142.1 points due to higher prices of mono bloc pumps (five per cent) and complete tractors (one per cent). Transport Equipment and Parts'' group index rose by 0.1 per cent to 155.7 points due to one per cent hike in the prices of motorcycles.