Wholesale inflation at 7-month high in September

New Delhi, October 14

Spiralling prices of food items, especially vegetables, pushed up the wholesale inflation to a seven-month high of 1.32% in September and cements the likelihood that the RBI will continue with status quo on interest rates.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was at 0.16% in August.

“The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at 1.32% (provisional) for the month of September, 2020 (over September, 2019) as compared to 0.33% during the corresponding month previous year,” government data showed on Wednesday.

The WPI-based inflation appears to be moving in sync with CPI-based retail inflation which shot up to an eight-month high of 7.34% in September, mainly on account of rising prices of food items. — PTI

Potato prices zoom 107.63%

• Inflation in food articles during September was at 8.17%, as against 3.84% in August, showed the data from the Commerce and Industry Ministry
• Vegetables as a category had inflation of 36.54% in September, potato price skyrocketed by 107.63% from a year-ago period. However, onions had deflation at 31.64% and in fruits, the inflation was at (-) 3.89%