Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

14-September-2015 11:58 IST

The official Wholesale Price Index for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2004-05=100) for the month of August, 2015 declined by 0.5 percent to 176.7 (provisional) from 177.5 (provisional) for the previous month.

INFLATION

The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at -4.95% (provisional) for the month of August, 2015 (over August, 2014) as compared to -4.05% (provisional) for the previous month and 3.85% during the corresponding month of the previous year.  Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 0.34% compared to a build up rate of  3.11% in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Inflation for important commodities / commodity groups is indicated in Annex-1 and Annex-II.

The movement of the index for the various commodity groups is summarized below:-

PRIMARY ARTICLES (Weight 20.12%)

The index for this major group rose by 1.7 percent to 251.5 (provisional) from 247.2 (provisional) for the previous month.  The groups and items which showed variations during the month are as follows:-

The index for ‘Food Articles’ group rose by 2.6 percent to 262.3 (provisional) from 255.7 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of fruits & vegetables (10%), arhar (6%), gram and urad (3% each), bajra, pork and maize (2% each) and masur, ragi, wheat, barley and condiments & spices (1% each).  However, the price of poultry chicken (6%),      beef & buffalo meat (3%) and moong, tea and jowar (1% each) declined.

The index for  ‘Non-Food Articles’ group rose by 0.8 percent to 217.4 (provisional) from 215.6 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of flowers (29%), copra (coconut) (8%), fodder and niger seed (7% each), safflower (kardi seed) and cotton seed   (3% each), castor seed and groundnut seed (2% each) and mesta, sunflower and rape & mustard seed (1% each).  However, the price of raw silk (12%), gaur seed (11%), raw rubber (8%), soyabean (6%), gingelly seed (sesamum) (3%) and linseed and raw cotton (2% each) declined.

The index for  ‘Minerals’ group declined by 4.4 percent to 244.6 (provisional) from 255.9 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of phosphorite (9%), crude petroleum (7%), sillimanite and copper ore (5% each) and iron ore (2 %).  However, the price of zinc concentrate (8%) and chromite (2%) moved up.

FUEL & POWER (Weight 14.91%)

The index for this major group declined by 4.5 percent to 178.7 (provisional) from 187.1 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of  furnace oil (12%), aviation turbine fuel (11%), high speed diesel (9%), petrol (3%) and bitumen (1%).

MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS (Weight 64.97%)

The index for this major group declined by 0.4 percent to 153.1 (provisional) from 153.7 (provisional) for the previous month. The groups and items for which the index showed variations during the month are as follows:-

The index for ‘Food Products’ group declined by 0.2 percent to 171.7 (provisional) from 172.0 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of salt (5%), tea dust (unblended) and oil cakes (3% each), soyabean oil, gingelly oil and sugar ( 2 % each) and canned fish, palm oil and sunflower oil (1% each).  However, the price of gram powder (besan) (11%), tea leaf (blended) (7%), processed prawn (6), mixed spices and sooji (rawa) (2% each) and gola (cattle feed) (1%) moved up.

The index for ‘Beverages, Tobacco & Tobacco Products’ group rose by 0.1 percent to 206.4 (provisional) from 206.1 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of dried tobacco and soft drinks & carbonated water (1% each).

The index for ‘Textiles’ group declined by 0.4 percent to 140.6 (provisional) from 141.2 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of woollen textiles (6%) and tyre cord fabric, cotton yarn, man made fibre and cotton fabric (1% each). However, the price of jute sacking cloth and jute sacking bag (4% each), gunny and hessian cloth (2%) and man made fabric (1%) moved up.

The index for ‘Wood & Wood Products’ group rose by 0.3 percent to 198.5 (provisional) from 197.9 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of  timber / wooden planks (2%).

The index for ‘Paper & Paper Products’ group rose by 0.7 percent to 154.7 (provisional) from 153.6 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of books/ periodicals/ journals (5%), paper cartons/boxes (2%) and corrugated sheet boxes (1%).  However, the price of laminated paper, printing and writing paper and card board (1% each) declined.

The index for ‘Leather & Leather Products’ group rose by 0.4 percent to 144.9 (provisional) from 144.3 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of leathers (3%).

The index for ‘Rubber & Plastic Products’ group declined by 0.5 percent to 148.7 (provisional) from 149.4 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of  plastic products and rubber products (1% each).

The index for ‘Chemicals & Chemical Products’ group declined by 0.1 percent to 151.3 (provisional) from 151.4 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of rubber chemicals (3%), adhesive &  gum (2%) and agarbattis,     polymers, basic organic chemicals and vaccines (1% each).  However, the price of ammonium sulphate, hair / body oils and     synthetic resin (2% each) and pigment & pigment intermediates, antacid and  digestive preparations, turpentine oil, paints and non-cyclic compound (1% each) moved up.

The index for ‘Non-Metallic Mineral Products’ group rose by 0.8 percent to 175.6 (provisional) from 174.2 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of grey cement (2%) and white cement (1). However, the price of asbestos corrugated sheet (3%), glass bottles & bottleware (2%) and marbles and railway sleeper (1% each) declined.

The index for ‘Basic Metals, Alloys & Metal Products’ group declined by 1.9 percent to 154.1 (provisional) from 157.1 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of melting scrap (6%), billets, sheets and wire rods (5% each),     silver, sponge iron, angles and pencil  ingots (4% each), rounds, pig iron, HRC and CRC (3% each), plates, steel rods,     joist & beams, gold & gold ornaments, rebars, gp/gc sheets and iron castings (2% each) and steel: pipes & tubes, steel castings, metal containers, zinc and aluminium (1% each).  However, the price of steel structures (4%) and ferro manganese (1%) moved up.

The index for ‘Machinery & Machine Tools’ group declined by 0.2 percent to 134.9 (provisional) from 135.2 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of fibre optic cable (4%), electric motors (3%), ball/roller bearing (2%) and electronic pcb /micro circuit, hydraulic equipment, conductor, electrical wires and pvc insulated cable (1% each).  However, the price of battery dry cells (3%), heat exchanger and harvester (2% each) and insulators (1%) moved up.

The index for ‘Transport, Equipment & Parts’ group declined by 0.1 percent to 137.7 (provisional) from 137.8 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of bi-cycles (2%).

FINAL INDEX FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE, 2015 (BASE YEAR: 2004-05=100)

For the month of June, 2015, the final Wholesale Price Index for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2004-05=100) stood at 179.1 as compared to 178.6 (provisional) and annual rate of inflation based on final index stood at -2.13 percent as compared to -2.40 percent (provisional) respectively as reported on 14.07.2015.

Next date of press release: 14/10/2015 for the month of September, 2015

Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, New Delhi,

This press release is available at our home page http://eaindustry.nic.in

Annexure-I

Wholesale Price Index and Rates of Inflation (Base Year: 2004-05=100)

RC/nb