India's WPI inflation eases to 2.60% in September

India`s annual wholesale price inflation eased to 2.60% in September from the provisional 3.24% in the previous month, dragged down by smaller increases in food prices, data showed on Monday.

WPI stood at 1.36% during the corresponding month of the previous year (September 2016). 

The rise compares with a 3.41% increase forecast by economists in a Reuters poll.

Wholesale food prices in September rose 1.99% on the year, compared with a 4.41% rise a month earlier, the data showed.

Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 0.97% compared to a build up rate of 3.44% in the corresponding period of the previous year

Index for 'Food Articles' group declined by 4% to 144.8 (provisional) from 150.8 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of fruits & vegetables (15%), betel leaves (6%), ragi (4%), bajra (3%), pork, maize and tea (2% each) and poultry chicken (1%).  However, the price of gram (10%), arhar (3%), masur, urad and fish-inland (2% each) and jowar, egg, barley, condiments & spices and peas/chawali (1% each) moved up.

Index for 'Non-Food Articles' group declined by 0.2% to 120.3 (provisional) from 120.6 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of floriculture (10%), groundnut seed (5%), raw cotton (3%) and linseed (1%). However, the price of copra (coconut) (12%), raw silk (10%), sunflower and guar seed (4% each), raw jute, gingelly seed and raw rubber (3% each), raw wool and soyabean (2% each) and castor seed, skins (raw), rape & mustard seed, mesta, coir fibre and safflower (kardi seed) (1% each) moved up.

Index for fuel & power group rose by 1.7% to 90.7 (provisional) from 89.2 (provisional) for the previous month.

The index for 'Mineral Oils' group rose by 3.3% to 79.1 (provisional) from 76.6 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of LPG (10%), naphtha (8%), ATF (5%), petrol (3%), furnace oil, kerosene and HSD (2% each) and bitumen (1%).  However, the price of petroleum coke (1%) declined.

 index for this major group rose by 0.4% to 113.4 (provisional) from 112.9 (provisional) for the previous month. The groups and items which showed variations during the month. 

For the month of July, 2017, the final Wholesale Price Index for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2011-12=100) and annual rate of inflation remained unchanged at its provisional level of 113.9 and 1.88% respectively.