Rising prices of food, beverages push WPI in May to 6.01%

New Delhi: Rising prices of food and beverages like coffee, tea, poultry, fish and vegetables pushed up inflation to 5-month high of 6.01 percent in May.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was 5.20 percent in April and 4.58 percent a year ago in May.

According to the data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry today, food items which became expensive during the month include coffee (23 percent), poultry chicken (seven percent), fish-inland (six percent) and tea and fruits and vegetables (four percent each).

The other items in the primary articles segment which became dearer are condiments and spices, fish-marine, urad and masur (three percent each), rice and moong (two percent each) and milk, barley, pork, mutton and arhar (one percent each).

However, the prices of maize came down by five percent, wheat and ragi by two percent each and egg, jowar and gram by one percent each.

In the ‘Non-Food Articles’ category, guar seed became expensive by 13 percent, soyabean (10 percent), copra (coconut) (eight percent), tobacco (seven percent), raw jute (five percent), raw silk (three percent), mesta (two percent) and groundnut seed, raw cotton and cotton seed (one percent each).

However, the data showed, the price of gingelly seed and flowers declined by eight percent each, fodder by three percent and linseed, castor seed and sunflower by one percent.

The inflation figures for March was revised to six percent from 5.70 percent reported earlier. The previous high was 6.4 percent in December.

In the manufactured goods category, food items which became expensive include tea leaf (unblended) (11 percent), tea leaf (blended) (eight percent), gur and bakery products (four percent each), gola (cattle feed) and processed prawn (three percent each), copra oil and ghee (two percent each) and mixed spices, khandsari and oil cakes (one percent each).

However, the price of tea dust (unblended) declined by three percent, groundnut oil and gingelly oil (two percent each) and soyabean oil and sunflower oil (one percent each).

The data further revealed that dried tobacco became expensive by eight percent and cigarettes by two percent.

In the textiles group category, man made fabric, jute sacking cloth, jute sacking bag and cotton fabric became dearer by one per cent each, though prices of jute yarn declined by four percent and tyre cord fabric and gunny and hessian cloth by one percent each.

Similar price increase was noticed in other categories like wood and wood products, paper and paper products, leather and leather products, rubber and plastic products and chemicals and chemical products.

Items in metals, machinery and machine tools and transport equipment categories too became expensive during May pushing up the overall inflation rate.

PTI