Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeUncategorizedInflation turns negative at -0.39% in January, food prices high

Inflation turns negative at -0.39% in January, food prices high

- Advertisement -

Inflation (2)Inflation declined to a five and a half year low of (-)0.39 per cent in January on falling prices of manufactured and fuel items even though food articles remained high.

Inflation measured on wholesale price index (WPI) was at 0.11 percent in December. The data for November was revised downwards to a negative (-)0.17 per cent, from the provisional estimate of zero.

However, food inflation witnessed a rising trend in January and scaled to a six month high of 8 percent, as per the government data released today.

Inflation in pulses, vegetables and cereals was higher in January over the previous month.

On the other hand, the rate of price rise in potato, milk, rice and protein rich items like egg, meat and fish was slower in the month under review.

Inflation in ‘fuel and power segment’ was negative at (-)10.69 per cent, while in manufactured products it was 1.05 percent.

The data further showed that the contraction in WPI inflation for petrol was steeper at 17.08 percent in January from 11.96 percent in December. Similarly the rate of decline in diesel prices last month was higher than in the previous month.

The inflation in the primary articles segment inched up to 3.27 per cent in January, as against 2.17 per cent in December.

The last time the inflation had touched this low level was in June 2009 when it was at (-)0.4 per cent.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, in the monetary policy review earlier this month, kept key interest rate unchanged saying the apex bank wanted more comfort on inflation front as it awaited cues from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s first full year Budget.

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Latest

Must Read

- Advertisement -

Related News