Infographix: Wholesale Price Index

Inflation fell by 0.18 per cent to 7.2 per cent for the week ended October 2, even as vegetable prices shot up by about 14 per cent.

The point-to-point Wholesale Price Index inflation fell from the previous week's level of 7.38 per cent mainly due to a fall in prices of fuel products and some of the manufactured items, notably edible oils.

Inflation stood at 5.32 per cent in the year-ago period. Interestingly, fuel prices declined marginally by 0.2 per cent even as international crude oil prices broke many a psychological barriers to cross 50 dollar a barrel due to a host of reasons, including the unrest in Nigeria.

The WPI also fell by 0.1 per cent to 189 points. It was 176.3 points in the previous year period.

The government revised upwards inflation to 8.30 per cent for the week ended August seven as compared to the provisional level of 7.96 per cent.

The WPI stood corrected at 187.8 points during the first week of August as against provisional level of 187.2 points.

The index of Primary Articles' group was up by 0.1 per cent to 191.6 points due to costlier food articles. It was 183.4 points in the year-ago period.

Food Articles' group index rose substantially by 0.6 per cent to 189.3 points due to rise in prices of vegetables (14 per cent), barley (4 per cent), urad (3 per cent) and eggs (1 per cent).

Prices, however, declined for fish-marine (7 per cent), fish-inland (4 per cent) and masur, moong and maize (1 per cent each).

The index of Non-Food Articles' group plummeted by 1.4 per cent 190.9 points due to lower prices of sunflower (12 per cent), raw cotton and gingelly seed (3 per cent each) and groundnut seed and castor seed (2 per cent each).

But prices rose in the case of raw rubber (4 per cent), safflower (2 per cent) and tobacco, fodder and niger seed (1 per cent each).

Despite rising oil prices in international markets, Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants' group index fell marginally by 0.2 per cent to 281 points due to cheaper furnace oil (4 per cent), lubricants (3 per cent) and naphtha (1 per cent). The index was 253.9 points a year ago.

Crude prices touched a record high of over $50 a barrel during the reported week on concerns of supplies from Nigeria and increased winter demand in the West, but the Indian government had not revised fuel prices mainly due inflationary pressures and Maharashtra elections.

The index of Manufactured products group stood unchanged at the previous week's level of 167.6 points despite cheaper food items, paper and transport equipment. It was 156.6 points in the year-ago period.  -- PTI