Food deflation shows rural distress, economists bat for innovative steps

Food inflation tells a story of rural distress even as non-food inflation on both the consumer price index (CPI) and the wholesale price index (WPI) remained above 5 per cent for months in a row.
 
Depressed farm conditions can be broadly gauged from the wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rate. Food items comprising the index witnessed deflation or fall in prices for the fifth month in a row till November 2018.
 
Though the rate of fall declined in September and October, it again rose in November.
 
In fact, CPI food prices also declined for the second straight