WPI inflation eases to six-month low of 2.84% in January

Lower inflation in fuel and food helped ease India’s wholesale inflation in January to a six-month low of 2.84%, data released on Thursday showed.

Wholesale price inflation (WPI) was 3.58% in December 2017 and 4.26% in January 2017.

“The rate of inflation based on WPI Food Index consisting of ‘Food Articles’ from Primary Articles group and ‘Food Product’ from Manufactured Products group decreased from 2.91% in December, 2017 to 1.65% in January, 2018,” commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.

While inflation in vegetables softened to 40.77% last month compared with 56.46 % in December, that in onions reigned high at 193.89%.

Prices of protein rich items eggs, meat and fish cooled at 0.37 % while that of fruits rose 8.49% in January.

Wholesale inflation rose 4.08% in in fuel and power and 2.78% in manufactured items compared with 9.16% and 2.61%, respectively.

Data released earlier this week showed retail inflation at 5.07 %.

Government also revised upwards the WPI for November to 4.02% from the provisional estimate of 3.93% released earlier.