Date:18/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/11/18/stories/2006111800121200.htm

Back Inflation up at 5.3 pc on costlier food, metals

Our Bureau

Wholesale Price Index for all commodities at 208.8 points

On the rise
Prices up for beef, buffalo meat by 10%, chicken 6%
Rates increase for roller bearings (10%), zinc (5%)

New Delhi , Nov. 17

The annual wholesale price index-based inflation rose 5.30 per cent during the week ended November 4, higher than the previous week's annual rise of 5.09 per cent. The increase in the year-on-year inflation was mainly on account of higher prices of food articles and manufactured products, Government data showed on Friday.

Fuel group unchanged

During the latest reported week, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for all commodities ended at 208.8 points. The WPI index was at 198.3 points a year ago. The annual inflation rate was 4.04 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year.

On a disaggregated basis, the Primary Articles' group index was up 0.4 per cent to 214.2 points as prices rose for food and manufactured items. The index was at 200.6 points during the same period a year ago. The Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants' group index remained unchanged at the previous week's level of 329.5 points.

Beef dearer

Among the Primary Articles' group, the Food Articles' group index moved up 0.5 per cent to 218.6 points due to higher prices of beef and buffalo meat (10 per cent), poultry chicken (6 per cent), eggs and fish marine (3 per cent each), bajra (2 per cent), milk, urad, wheat and gram (1 per cent each). However, prices fell for moong, fruits and vegetables (2 per cent each) and arhar (1 per cent). The index for Non-Food Articles group was up 0.3 per cent to 187 points due to a rise in prices of groundnut seed (2 per cent), rape and mustard seed and gingelly seed (1 per cent each). But, niger seed and raw wool became cheaper by one per cent.

Among the Manufactured Products' group, the Food Products' group index rose 0.1 per cent to 182.8 points due to an increase in prices of bran (5 per cent), skimmed milk powder and oil cakes (3 per cent), rice bran oil (2 per cent) and sunflower oil, rape and mustard oil, imported edible oil and groundnut oil (1 per cent each), but prices of sugar declined by 2 per cent.

Zinc costlier

Base Metals Alloys and Metal Products group index rose 0.2 per cent to 237.5 points owing to increase in the prices of forging and zinc (5 per cent), zinc ingots and lead ingots (3 per cent). The Government revised the final inflation figure to 5.22 per cent for the week ended September 9 from the provisional 4.61 per cent, while the WPI stood corrected at 207.8 points from the earlier estimate of 206.6 points.