Chicken, cement prices push inflation to 3.59 pc

New Delhi, May 14: The annual rate of inflation increased to to 3.59 per cent for the week ended April 29, as against 3.54 per cent during the previous week due to higher prices of chicken, eggs, zinc and cement.

The inflation rate, calculated on point-to-point basis, stood at 5.67 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year, according to official figures released here.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for all commodities for the week ended April 29, rose by 0.1 per cent to 199.0 from 198.8 for the previous week.

The index for the Primary Articles group rose by 0.4 per cent to 195.4 from 194.7 for the previous week.

The index for Food Articles group rose by 0.5 per cent to 198.2 from 197.3 for the previous week due to higher prices of poultry chicken (14 per cent), eggs (6 per cent), barley (3 per cent), wheat (2 per cent) and urad, fruits and vegetables and gram (1 per cent each).

However, the prices of tea (9 per cent), moong and jowar (2 per cent each) and pork, arhar and ragi (1 per cent each) declined.

The index for Non-Food Articles group rose by 0.1 per cent to 176.6 from 176.5 for the previous week due to higher prices of cotton seed (2 per cent) and copra, raw cotton and groundnut seed (1 per cent each).

However, the prices of coir fibre (20 per cent), fodder (7 per cent), raw silk (3 per cent), raw jute (2 per cent) and niger seed (1 per cent) declined.

The index for the Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants again remained stagnant at its previous week's level of 316.8. The index for the Manufactured Products group also remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 173.9. The index for Food Products declined by 0.4 per cent to 178.0 from 178.8 for the previous week due to lower prices of unblended black tea leaf gr (11 per cent), sooji (rawa) and processed tea (5 per cent each), atta and bran (all kinds) (3 per cent each) and maida (2 per cent).

However, the prices of imported edible oil, oil cakes, groundnut oil and gur (2 per cent each) and rice bran oil and coconut oil (1 per cent each) moved up.

The index for Textiles group declined by 0.1 per cent to 130.2 from 130.3 for the previous week due to lower prices of hessian and sacking bags (3 per cent), hessian cloth (1 per cent).

However, the prices of texturised yarn (2 per cent) moved up.

The index for Paper and Paper products rose by 0.7 per cent to 185.8 from 184.6 for the previous week due to higher prices of other boards (all kinds) (5 per cent) and news print and mg poster paper (2 per cent each).

The index for Leather products group declined by 2.2 per cent to 156.0 from 159.5 for the previous week due to lower prices of footwear western type (2 per cent).

The index for Rubber and Plastic group declined by 0.1 per cent to 140.0 from 140.2 for the previous week due to lower prices of pvc fitting and accessories (16 per cent).

However, the prices of plastic items (6 per cent) moved up.

The index for Chemicals and Chemical Products group rose by 0.3 per cent to 192.0 from 191.5 for the previous week due to higher prices of liquid oral other than vitamins (6 per cent) and acid (all kinds) (2 per cent).

However, the prices of purified terephthalic acid (pta) (8 per cent), pvc resins (4 per cebt) and benzene (3 per cent) declined.

The index for Non Metallic Mineral Products group rose by 0.4 per cent to 189.7 from 189.0 for the previous week due to higher prices of cement (1 per cent).

The index for Basic Metals Alloys and Metal Products group rose by 0.3 per cent to 218.7 from 218.1 for the previous week due to higher prices of zinc (21 per cent), other aluminium material (4 per cent), ferro silicon (3 per cent) and zinc ingots (1 per cent).

The index for Machinery and Machine Tools group rose by 0.1 per cent to 149.9 from 149.8 for the previous week due to higher prices of powerlooms automatic (4 per cent), cranes (2 per cent) and power driven pumps (1 per cent).

However, the prices of excavator (2 per cent) declined.

UNI