WPI inflation falls to a low of 1.08 pc in July from 2.02 pc in June

Wholesale price-based inflation fell to a low of 1.08 per cent in July compared to 5.27 per cent in the same month of the previous year, the government said on Wednesday.

The inflation based on Wholesale Price Index (WPI) stood at 2.02 per cent in June this year. The decline in July was mainly due to cheaper fuel and food items, according to an official statement.

Data issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that said inflation in food articles was 6.15 per cent in July as against 6.98 per cent in the previous month.

However, the index for food articles group rose by 1.3 per cent to 153.7 (provisional) from 151.7 for the previous month due to higher price of fruits and vegetables (5 per cent), egg, maize and jowar (4 per cent each), pork (3 per cent), beef and buffalo meat, bajra, wheat and condiments and spices (2 per cent each) and barley, moong, paddy, peas/chawali, ragi and arhar (1 per cent each).

But the price of fish marine (7 per cent), tea (6 per cent), betel leaves (5 per cent), poultry chicken (3 per cent) and fish-inland, urad (1 per cent each) declined.

On the other hand, wholesale inflation in fuel and power segment tumbled further to minus 3.64 per cent as against minus 2.2 per cent in June.