Inflation rate eases marginally to 6.43%

Under the group, the `food products group’ showed a decline in the index by 0.1 per cent to 148.5 per cent from the previous level of 148.6 (provisional) due to lower prices of maida, suji, atta and coconut oil which declined by 2 per cent each even as the prices of rice bran oil declined by one per cent.

Prices of hydrogenated vanaspati and groundnut oil weakened by 2 per cent each while that for gingelly oil and oil cakes moved up by one per cent. Similarly, the index for `textiles’ group remained unchanged at its previous level of 117.2 (provisional). In which the items that have shown variation during the week were cotton yarn-cones and synthetic yarn which showed slight hardening at one per cent each while viscose filament yarn and texturised yarn showed a drop of 3 per cent and polyester yarn a drop of 2 per cent.

The easing of the prices for the latest week was also on account of a zero growth in the price index of `non-foods articles’ group which has remained unchanged to the previous week’s level which stood at 143.6. In this group, the prices of mesta, skins raw, raw jute, rape and mustard seed and cotton seeds hardened while that of cotton seed and copra declined.

On the other hand, `food articles’ rose by 0.8 per cent to 175.7 (provisional) from 143.6 points in the previous week due to higher prices of wheat, fish-inland and condiments and spices which have risen by 4 per cent, while items like vegetables and mutton rose by 2 per cent each. Maize, ragi and fruits registered a rise of one per cent each while prices declined in the case of bajra by 3 per cent and masur and tea by 2 per cent each and jowar, moong, milk and eggs by one per cent each.

With these movements the overall index for the major group `primary articles’ registered a rise by 0.6 per cent to 165.2 (provisional) from that of 164.2 (provisional) in the previous week. Meanwhile, the index for this major group has remained unchanged at its previous week’s level of 193.6 (provisional).