Food is costliest in India’s financial capital.

In the past three months, Mumbai has been leading all other metros and large cities in terms of registering the highest price increases for most food items.

This is according to the city-wise price data recorded by the Price Monitoring Cell in the Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs.

Prices of wheat, sugar, pulses, vanaspati, milk and potato are the highest in Mumbai. A kg of sugar retailing at Rs 43 in Mumbai on Monday, costs Rs 39 in Delhi, and Rs 41 in Chennai and Kolkata.

Over the past three months, sugar prices in Mumbai have increased 30 per cent, the steepest rise compared to other metros. Normally, sugar prices in Mumbai are lower than in Delhi.

However, it is unusual this year as the prices of the sweetener have flared up in Mumbai largely on concerns over poor rains affecting the 2012-13 sugarcane crop in parts of Maharashtra.

Atta, pulses

The price of atta (wheat flour) is the highest in Mumbai. At Rs 32/kg, it is almost double that in Delhi (Rs 17/kg) and considerably costlier than in Chennai (Rs 24) and Kolkata (Rs 18). Mumbai also saw the steepest rise of 23 per cent in atta prices over other metros in three months.

The prices of pulses such as gram dal and tur dal are the highest in Mumbai at Rs 76 and Rs 80 a kg respectively.

Also, milk and potato are costliest in Mumbai vis-à-vis other metros.

The worry over the delay in monsoon affecting key kharif crops in various parts of the country has pushed up prices of almost all food items in recent weeks.

“The prevailing drought conditions could affect the crop prospects and may impact the prices of essential commodities,” Food Minister K. V. Thomas told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Food inflation based on the wholesale price index, which stood at 10.81 per cent in June 2012, is likely to remain high going by the trend in recent months.

The food inflation was 10.74 per cent in May 2012 and 7.64 per cent in June 2011.

>vishwanath.kulkarni@thehindu.co.in

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