Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : The official Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2011-12=100) for the month of March, 2019 rose by 0.4 percent to 120.0 (provisional) from 119.5 (provisional) for the previous month.
The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at 3.18% (provisional) for the month of March, 2019 (over March, 2018) as compared to 2.93% (provisional) for the previous month and 2.74% during the corresponding month of the previous year. Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 3.18% compared to a build up rate of 2.74% in the corresponding period of the previous year.
The movement of the index for the PRIMARY ARTICLES (Weight 22.62%): The index for this major group rose by 0.4 percent to 134.7 (provisional) from 134.2 (provisional) for the previous month. The index for ‘Food Articles’ group rose by 0.9 percent to 145.1 (provisional) from 143.8 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of peas/chawali (7%), fruits & vegetables (6%), maize and jowar (3% each), bajra (2%) and masur (1%).
However, the price of fish-marine (6%), egg (5%), gram (3%), mutton, urad and condiments & spices (2% each) and rajma, ragi, wheat, arhar and poultry chicken (1% each) declined.
The index for ‘Non-Food Articles’ group declined by 2.6 percent to 123.5 (provisional) from 126.8 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of industrial wood (16%), raw silk (7%), sunflower (4%), rape & mustard seed (3%), gingelly seed and safflower (kardi seed) (2% each) and soyabean, floriculture, copra (coconut) and coir fibre (1% each). However, the price of niger seed (15%), raw rubber and raw cotton (4% each), raw wool (2%) and groundnut seed, fodder, castor seed, mesta, raw jute, linseed and hides (raw) (1% each) moved up.
The index for ‘Minerals’ group declined by 1.9 percent to 136.7 (provisional) from 139.3 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of manganese ore and iron ore (8% each), sillimanite (7%), limestone and chromite (2% each) and lead concentrate and zinc concentrate (1% each). However, the price of garnet (12%) and copper concentrate (1%) moved up.
The index for ‘Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas’ group rose by 3.3 percent to 87.6 (provisional) from 84.8 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of crude petroleum (6%). However, the price of natural gas (2%) declined.
MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS (Weight 64.23%) : The index for this major group rose by 0.2 percent to 118.3 (provisional) from 118.1 (provisional) for the previous month. The index for ‘Manufacture of Food Products’ group declined by 0.2 percent to 128.5 (provisional) from 128.7 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of manufacture of macaroni, noodles, couscous & similar farinaceous products (5%), copra oil (4%), processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans & molluscs & products thereof and rice bran oil (3% each), processing and preserving of fruit & vegetables and palm oil (2% each) and cotton seed oil, sooji (rawa), soyabean oil, gram powder (besan), buffalo meat [fresh/frozen], spices (including mixed spices), salt, vanaspati, mustard oil, sunflower oil, manufacture of cocoa, chocolate & sugar confectionery, ghee and maida (1% each).
However, the price of molasses (13%), groundnut oil (10%), honey (4%), processed tea, condensed milk and manufacture of starches and starch products (3% each), coffee powder with chicory, castor oil, instant coffee, chicken/duck [dressed-fresh/frozen] and manufacture of health supplements (2% each) and manufacture of prepared animal feeds, bagasse, gur, manufacture of processed ready to eat food, manufacture of bakery products and wheat bran (1% each) moved up, according to a PIB release.