WPI inflation rises to 4.17% in Feb on costlier food, fuel

14/03/2019 MUMBAI: A women buying vegetable in western suburbs of Mumbai. Inflation based on wholesale prices rose to 2.93 per cent in February over the previous month due to hardening of prices of primary articles, fuel and power, according to government data released Thursday. photo. Paul Noronha

The wholesale price-based inflation rose for the second consecutive month in February to 4.17%, as food, fuel and power prices spiked.

The WPI inflation was 2.03% in January and 2.26% in February last year.

After witnessing months of softening of prices, the food articles in February saw 1.36% inflation. In January it was (-) 2.80%.

In vegetables the rate of price rise was (-) 2.90% in February, against (-) 20.82% in January.

Inflation in pulses was 10.25% in February, while it fruits it was 9.48%, and in fuel and power basket it was 0.58%.

The RBI in its monetary policy last month kept interest rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive meeting and said that the near-term inflation outlook has turned favourable.

Retail inflation, based on the consumer price index, was at 5.03% in February, data released last week showed.