Food inflation, based on the annual Wholesale Price Index, increased 10.86 per cent during the week ended August 21, up from the previous week's rise of 10.05 per cent. Pulses and milk were among the items responsible for the surge. Primary articles
Fuel inflation too climbed 12.71 per cent on a year-on-year basis during the latest reported week, higher than the 12.57 per cent recorded in the previous week, government data released on Friday showed.
The annual rate of inflation for Primary Articles, calculated on point-to-point basis, stood at 15.19 per cent for the latest week compared with 14.75 per cent points the previous week.
Fish dearer
On a sequential basis, the Primary Articles' group index increased 1.4 per cent as the index for Food Articles' group gained 1.8 per cent due to higher prices of fish-inland (22 per cent), fruits and vegetables (4 per cent) and gram (1 per cent). However, the prices of moong and eggs (2 per cent each) and masur (1 per cent) declined.
The index for 'Non-Food Articles' group was up 0.4 per cent due to costlier raw silk (2 per cent) and groundnut seed, raw cotton, copra and rape and mustard seed (1 per cent each).
However, the prices of castorseed (3 per cent), raw rubber (2 per cent) and gingelly seed (1 per cent) slipped. The index for 'Minerals' group increased 1.4 per cent due to higher prices of fluorite (3 per cent) and barytes and iron ore (2 per cent each). However, the prices of steatite (26 per cent), asbestos (21 per cent) and feldspar (4 per cent) dropped.
The Fuels group, on a sequential basis, gained 0.2 per cent due to costlier light diesel oil, furnace oil and aviation turbine fuel (2 per cent each) and naphtha (1 per cent). However, the prices of bitumen (1 per cent) declined.
