Food inflation falls to 16.91 pc; vegetable prices still high

New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) Snapping the five week risingtrend, food inflation softened to 16.91 per cent for the weekended January 1, 2011, although vegetables, onions andprotein-based items continued to remained costly.

Food inflation fell by 1.41 percentage points from 18.32per cent recorded in the previous reporting week.

Even as the index of food inflation showed a meagredecline, vegetable prices soared by 70.73 per cent on anannual basis in the wholesale market, official data showed.

Also onions continued to pinch the pocket of the commonman as the prices went up by 70.70 per cent on a year onyear basis.

Among the individual items in the food inflation index,egg, meat and fish became costly by 16.70 per cent, milk by13.20 per cent and fruits by 17.71 per cent annually.

However, prices of pulses declined by 14.84 per cent,wheat by 4.87 per cent, potatoes by 1.67 per cent and cerealsby 0.12 per cent on an annual basis.

Meanwhile, in the non-food category, the prices of fibresand minerals have climbed up by 36.71 per cent and 16.70 percent, respectively.

Food inflation has remained high for the entire month ofDecember. The rising food prices will get reflected in themonthly inflation data for December, scheduled to be announcedtomorrow.

The headline inflation in November had come down to 7.48per cent from 8.58 per cent a month ago.