Retail inflation fell to 30-month low of 7.31 per cent in June, mainly on account of lower prices of food items, including vegetables, cereals and meat. The retail inflation, measured on consumer price index (CPI), was 8.28 per cent in May. Its lowest was 7.65 per cent in January, 2012, the month the government started releasing the data in percentage terms. As per the data released by the government today, food inflation fell to 7.97 per cent in June against 9.56 per cent in May. During the month under review, the rate of prise rise in vegetable was 8.73 per cent against 15.27 per cent in May. Cereals and its products were cheaper, with inflation of 7.6 per cent as against 8.81 per cent a month ago. The rate of price rise for egg, fish and meat was 8.27 per cent in June, lower than 10.11 per cent in May. Inflation in milk and milk products was 11.06 per cent in June, slightly lower than 11.28 per cent in the preceding month, showed the data. Among others, food and beverages inflation stood at 7.9 per cent in June vis-a-vis 9.4 per cent in May. The rate of price rise in fuel and light was 4.58 per cent during the month as against 5.07 per cent rise in May. Fruit inflation came down to 20.64 per cent compared to 23.17 per cent a month earlier. For oil and fats, it was 0.35 per cent in June compared to 0.91 per cent rise in the previous month. According to the data, the corresponding provisional inflation rates for rural and urban areas for June are 7.72 per cent and 6.82 per cent compared to 8.86 per cent and 7.55 per cent in May, respectively.
