WPI Inflation eased to 4.89 percent in April 2013 as Per Official Data

As per official data released on 14 May 2013, WPI Inflation eased to 4.89 percent in April 2013. Declining price of food items, including fruits and vegetables caused a three and a half year low. Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) stood at 5.96 percent in March 2013. In April, 2012, it was 7.50 percent. This is the lowest level of inflation since November, 2009 when it was 4.78 percent.

The major data are given as following:
• WPI inflation in the manufactured items category declined to 3.41 percent in April from 4.07 percent in March.
• Also, inflation in food articles category, which has a 14.34 percent share in the WPI basket, came down to 6.08 percent. Inflation in this category was at 8.73 percent in March 2013.
• The easing in food inflation was helped by a sharp drop in prices of vegetables. Inflation in vegetables stood at (-) 9.05 percent in April 2013, against (-)0.95 percent in March 2013.
• The inflation in fruits declined to 0.71 percent during April 2013 as compared to 4.71 percent in March 2013. However, the rate of price rise in onion was high at 91.69 percent for the month of April, as against inflation rate of 94.85 percent in the previous month.
• Inflation for February was revised upwards to 7.28 percent from 6.84 percent as per provisional estimates. The retail inflation, as measured by consumer price index, came down to single digit at 9.39 percent in April after many months, indicating that inflationary expectation is on declining trend.
• Inflation in wheat eased to 13.89 percent in April, as against 19.87 percent in the previous month. Potatoes too saw decline to (-)2.42 percent, from 20.06 percent in March. Inflation rate in rice and cereals eased to 17.09 percent and 15.63 percent, respectively, in April 2013.
• Pulses prices declined marginally to 10.28 percent during the month. While the inflation rate in egg, meat and fish category stood at 10.44 percent, for milk it was 4.04 percent. For the fuel and power category, it was lower at 8.84 percent in April as compared to 10.18 percent in March 2013.