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Our Bureau

New Delhi , May 6

THE annual wholesale price index-based inflation rose to 5.91 per cent during the week ended April 23, from 5.64 per cent during the previous week. The rise in the year-on-year inflation was largely on account of an increase in prices of vegetables, fruits, edible oils, industrial fuel and manufactured products, according to data released here on Friday by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Inflation stood at 4.32 per cent during the same period last year. The WPI was up by 0.4 per cent to 191.9 points during the week from 191.2 a week ago.

On a disaggregated basis, the Primary Articles' Group index rose to 188.6 with food articles' prices moving up 1.2 per cent.

The Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants group index rose to 293.2 from 263.2 a year ago, mainly due to higher prices of furnace oil (4 per cent) and bitumen (1 per cent).

The heavyweight Manufactured Products group index rose to 170.4 points from 161.7 a year ago as chemicals, metals and transport equipment became costlier.

Among the Primary Articles' Group, the Food articles group index was up at 190.6 points, as prices surged for tea (24 per cent), vegetables (9.3 per cent), fish items (4 per cent), gram, moong and arhar (2 per cent each), fruits, bajra and pork (1 per cent each). However, prices fell for eggs (2 per cent), condiments and spices (1 per cent each).

Non-food articles group index was down to 179.1 points due to cheaper copra (4 per cent), fodder (3 per cent), castor seed, gingelly seed and groundnut seed (1 per cent each). But prices of raw silk and safflower rose by 1 per cent.

Among the Manufactured Products' Group, the Food Products group index was down 0.1 per cent to 174.3, due to lower prices of oil cakes and biscuits (1 per cent each). However, prices rose for khandsari (3 per cent), ghee and groundnut oil (1 per cent each).

The Chemicals and Chemical Products group index was up by 0.1 per cent to 186 points due to a 3 per cent rise in prices of syrups, but vitamin tablets were cheaper by 1 per cent. Cement prices declined marginally, pulling down the group index for Non-metallic Mineral Products by 0.3 per cent to 168.7 points.

The Base Metals Alloys and Metal Products' Group index rose by 1.6 per cent to 221.9 points due to higher prices of heavy light structurals (eight per cent), steel sheets, plates and strips and other iron steel (six per cent each), basic pig iron, foundry pig iron, bars and rods, and heavy rails (four per cent each) and angles, channels and sections and pipes and tubes (one per cent each).

The index for Machinery and Machine Tools' group declined by 0.1 per cent to 144.9 points due to cheaper batteries (12 per cent), electronic IC's and dry cell (three per cent each) and semi conductors (two per cent).

Prices, however, rose for electrical generators (seven per cent) and power looms automatic (four per cent).

A two per cent increase in prices of bicycles pushed up the Transport Equipment and Parts' group index by 0.1 per cent to 158.7 points.

The Government also revised upwards the inflation rate for the week ended February 26 to 5.06 per cent, from the provisional figure of 4.95 per cent.

The WPI stood corrected at 188.9 points against the provisional level of 188.7 points.

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Costlier edible products drive inflation up

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