Sept inflation dips to 5-yr low of 2.38 pc on cheaper food

Softening food prices pulled down the wholesale price inflation to near five year low of 2.38 per cent, creating headroom for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rate to boost demand and push industrial growth.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was at 3.74 per cent in August and 7.05 per cent in September 2013.
As per data released by the government today, the food inflation fell to a nearly 33-month low of 3.52 per cent. The continuing decline in food inflation comes as a big relief to the common man as well as the policy planners in the government.

The sharp drop in WPI inflation, which fell for the fourth month in a row, comes just at the back of retail inflation declining to a record low of 6.46 per cent in September.
Wholesale inflation in onion contracted to 58.12 per cent in September as compared to a contraction of 44.7 per cent in the previous month.
While inflation in vegetable basket as a whole shrunk to 14.98 per cent in September, rate of price rise in potato was at 90.23 per cent from 61.61 per cent in the previous month.

Commenting on the data, industry body CII said going forward, the downslide in global commodity prices led by fuel together with other factors should help contain inflation.

"This would provide space to the RBI to review its cautious stance on interest rates," CII said.
FICCI said the decline in inflation is getting broad based and indicates inflationary pressures waning as of now.
"...The prices are expected to remain moderate. CPI inflation is moving in consonance with RBI's target rate and this should bring in some breathing space," the chamber said.
The RBI, which maintained status quo in interest rate since January, will come out monetary policy review on December 2.
Diesel and petrol prices are likely to come down in the wake of sliding global crude prices which is expected to further ease inflationary pressure.