Inflation of 30 essential commodities rises: FinMin

NEW DELHI: Inflation of 30 essential commodities rose to 7.88 per cent for the week ended October 4, even as the overall rate of price rise fell to 11.44 per cent on yearly basis.

However, there was decline in prices of four of these commodities and prices of 17 others remained unchanged, a statement by the Finance Ministry said today.

This implies that prices of nine commodities increased on a week-on-week basis. However, the statement did not specify which are these commodities. For the week ended September inflation stood at 7.74 per cent.

So far as conventional method of measuring inflation on yearly basis is concerned, it declined for manufactured products and fuel and power group and increased for primary articles, the ministry said.

Among primary articles, 17 of total 98 items witnessed a decline in prices including wheat, maize, arhar, barley, gram, potatoes, raw rubber and corianders. Another 60 primary articles have shown no increase in prices, the statement said.

In fuel and power group, prices of naphtha, ATF and furnace oil declined while those of other 15 commodities remained unchanged. Bitumin was the only commodity in the group which became dearer.

Among manufactured products, 293 of the total 318 commodities have shown no increase in prices, while 15 became cheaper including lead, foundry and basic pig iron, cotton seed, imported edible oils, MS bars.

Ten products including sugar, gur and salt, ground nut and gingelly oils, automobile cables and complete tractors became expensive, the ministry said.