India's retail inflation may have breached RBI's comfort level of 4% in Oct

Indian retail inflation probably exceeded the Reserve Bank of India's medium-term target of 4% in October for the first time in 15 months, mainly because of rising vegetable prices, a Reuters poll of economists showed.

Prices of most vegetables climbed during the month as monsoon downpours delayed harvests and disrupted supplies. That was despite a government ban on onion exports, a key component in the Indian diet.

Overall food prices - the biggest chunk of the consumer price basket - also rose in October.

The Nov. 4-7 Reuters poll of 39 economists forecast annual consumer price inflation rose to 4.25% in October, its