Essential commodities price up 25% between Jan-May '06 and '07

New Delhi, June 10 (UNI) With GDP crossing the nine per cent mark and the national income growing by 15 per cent, the common man has hardly been relieved with prices of essential commodities shooting up to 25 per cent, an industry body said here today.

''The rising prices of seven to eight essential commodities (barring sugar) which shot up by over 25 per cent between January-May 2006 and January-May 2007, demonstrates that these are getting out of reach of 'aam adami','' according to a study by industry chamber Assocham on impact of buoyant growth rate on essential commodities prices between January-May 06 and January-May 07.

Prices of wheat, pulses, spices and condiments, edible oil, meat and meat products, milk products, fruit and vegetables, on an average, shot up by over 25 per cent with only sugar prices falling by 33 per cent in the period.

''Shortages of supplies was the main cause for price rise further fuelled on account of hoarding by wholesalers and even retailers,'' Assocham President Venugopal N Dhoot said.

He said although the inflation has come down below five per cent in the last one year and supply-demand gap of some of the essential commodities has narrowed down to some extent but in totality, the prices of essential commodities are refusing to settle down at justifiable level and continues to pinch the pocket of 'aam adami'.

The rise in prices of essential commodities go unabated, despite the country witnessing a 15.8 per cent growth in 2006-07 in its national income at current prices from Rs 28,46,762 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 32,96,639 crore in 2006-07. Likewise, the per capita income attained a level of Rs 29,382 in 2006-07, against Rs 25,716 in the previous year, posting an increase of 14.3 per cent.

The rising national and per capita income has hardly had any positive reflection in prices of essential commodities as in case of wheat, where the price rise was to the extent of 20 per cent between January-May 2006 and January-May 2007, the study said.

Prices of pulses, spices and condiments rose by a minimum of 32 per cent, while edible oil has been the worst price hit sector in which the rise was over 35 per cent between January-May 2006 and January-May 2007.

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