Food inflation rises to 9.80% for week ended August 13

Inching closer to the crucial double-digit mark, food inflation rose to 9.80% for the week ended August 13 on the back of dearer onions, potatoes, fruits and protein-based items.

Food inflation, as measured by Whole Price Index (WPI), stood at 9.03% in the previous week. The rate of price rise of food items in the corresponding week of August, 2010, was 14.56%.

As per data released by the government today, the price of onions soared by 44.42% year-on-year, while potatoes became 16.39% more expensive during the week under review.

During the week ended August 13, fruits became dearer by 27.01% and eggs, meat and fish by 13.37% on an annual basis.

The price of milk was up 9.51%, while vegetables and cereals became dearer by 6.52% and 5.22%, respectively.

However, pulses became cheaper by 5.56% and the price of wheat was down by 2.80% year-on-year.

Overall, primary articles recorded 12.40% inflation for the week ended August 13, up from 11.64% in the previous week. Primary articles have a share of over 20% in the WPI.

Inflation in non-food articles, which include fibres, oil seeds and minerals, stood at 17.80%, compared to 16.07% in the previous week.

Meanwhile, fuel and power inflation stood stable at 13.13% for the week ended August 13, the same as in the week ended August 6.