WPI inflation eases to 13.93 pc in Jul

PTI, Aug 16, 2022, 2:45 PM IST

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The wholesale price-based inflation eased to 13.93 per cent in July on easing prices of food articles and manufactured products.

The Wholesale Price Index-based inflation was 15.18 per cent last month and at a record high of 15.88 per cent in May. It was 11.57 per cent in July last year.

The WPI inflation continued its declining trend for the second month in July but remained in double-digits for the 16th consecutive month beginning April last year.

Inflation in food articles in July eased to 10.77 per cent from 14.39 per cent in June. The rate of price rise in vegetables declined substantially to 18.25 per cent in July against 56.75 per cent in the previous month.

In the fuel and power basket, inflation was 43.75 per cent in July compared to 40.38 per cent in the last month.

Inflation in manufactured products and oil seeds was 8.16 per cent and (-)4.06 per cent, respectively.

The Reserve Bank of India mainly looks at retail inflation to frame monetary policy. Retail inflation remained above the Reserve Bank’s comfort level for the seventh month in a row and was at 6.71 per cent in July. To tame stubbornly high inflation, the RBI has hiked the key interest rate three times this year to 5.40 per cent.

The central bank had projected retail inflation to average 6.7 per cent in 2022-23.