Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

14-June-2016 12:10 IST

The official Wholesale Price Index for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2004-05=100) for the month of May, 2016 rose by 1.4 percent to 179.4 (provisional) from 177.0 (provisional) for the previous month.

INFLATION

The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at 0.79% (provisional) for the month of May, 2016 (over May, 2015) as compared to 0.34% (provisional) for the previous month and -2.20% during the corresponding month of the previous year.  Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 2.34% compared to a build up rate of 1.08% 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 2.4 percent to 255.3 (provisional) from 249.3 (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 2.8 percent to 271.1 (provisional) from 263.8 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of egg (12%), urad (11%), gram (10%), poultry chicken (9%), fruits & vegetables (6%), masur (5%), tea, barley and bajra (4% each),  maize, jowar and arhar (3% each), fish-inland, rice, ragi, condiments & spices and moong (2% each) and mutton (1%).  However, the price of coffee (10%), fish-marine and pork (3% each) and       beef & buffalo meat (2%) declined.

The index for 'Non-Food Articles'  group rose by 0.4 percent to 226.4 (provisional) from 225.6 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of linseed (16%), gingelly seed (7%), safflower (kardi seed) (6%), rape & mustard seed and raw cotton (5% each), raw wool (4%), groundnut seed (2%) and raw jute, mesta and cotton seed (1%).  However, the price of flowers (11%), sunflower (6%), niger seed, fodder and copra (coconut) (3% each), soyabean (2%) and raw silk (1%) declined.

The index for 'Minerals' group rose by 3.7 percent to 186.2 (provisional) from 179.5 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of  sillimanite (15%), iron ore (9%), crude petroleum (4%) and copper ore (2%).  However, the price of zinc concentrate (8%), magnesite (4%), chromite (3%), manganese ore (2%) and phosphorite (1%) declined.

FUEL & POWER (Weight 14.91%)

The index for this major group rose by 2.8 percent to 180.3 (provisional) from 175.4  (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of furnace oil (12%), high speed diesel (6%) and kerosene, aviation turbine fuel, petrol and bitumen (2% each).

MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS (Weight 64.97%)

The index for this major group rose by 0.5 percent to 155.7 (provisional) from 155.0 (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 rose by 1.0 percent to 185.3 (provisional) from 183.4 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of tea leaf (blended) (8%),  sugar confectionary (6%), coffee powder (5%),  processed prawn and gur (4% each), tea dust (blended), sugar and gingelly oil (3% each), groundnut oil, khandsari, ghee and mixed spices  (2% each) and palm oil, gola (cattle feed), powder milk and sooji (rawa ) (1% each). However, the price of tea dust (unblended) (9%), gram powder (besan) (5%), cotton seed oil and copra oil (2% each) and mustard & rapeseed oil and tea leaf (unblended) (1% each) declined.

The index for 'Beverages, Tobacco & Tobacco Products' group rose by 1.3 percent to 219.0 (provisional) from 216.2 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of beer (8%), soft drinks & carbonated water (7%) and zarda (3%).

The index for 'Textiles' group rose by 0.5 percent to 140.6 (provisional) from 139.9 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of jute sacking bag (3%), gunny and hessian cloth (2%) and cotton yarn and cotton fabric (1% each).

The index for 'Wood & Wood Products' group declined by 0.5 percent to 197.0 (provisional) from 198.0 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of  timber / wooden planks (2%).

The index for 'Rubber & Plastic Products' group rose by 0.2 percent to 146.0 (provisional) from 145.7 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of tubes (3%).

The index for 'Chemicals & Chemical Products' group rose by 0.1 percent to 150.1 (provisional) from 149.9 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of non-cyclic compound and turpentine oil (1% each).  However, the price of  antacid and digestive preparations, hair / body oils and adhesive & gum (1% each) declined.

The index for 'Non-Metallic Mineral Products' group declined by 0.3 percent to 178.7 (provisional) from 179.3 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of polished granite (3%) and railway sleeper and grey cement (1 % each).  However, the price of marbles and asbestos corrugated sheet (3% each) and lime (1%) moved up.

The index for 'Basic Metals, Alloys & Metal Products' group rose by 0.6 percent to 154.9 (provisional) from 153.9 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of wire rods, steel rods and ferro manganese (4% each), pig iron and plates (3% each) and rounds, silver, billets, ferro chrome, HRC and pipes/tubes/rods/strips (2% each) and steel: pipes & tubes, CRC, pressure cooker, angles, melting scrap and aluminium (1% each).  However, the price of steel structures and steel castings (1% each) declined.

The index for 'Machinery & Machine Tools' group rose by 0.4 percent to 135.5 (provisional) from 135.0 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of washing / laundry machines (10%), ball/roller bearing and transformer (5% each), electronic pcb /micro circuit (2%) and heat exchanger and fibre optic cable (1% each).  However, the price of      textile machinery (2%) and lifts, conductor, insulators, electrical pumps and fluorescent tubes (1% each) declined.

The index for 'Transport, Equipment & Parts' group rose by 0.1 percent to 139.3 (provisional) from 139.1 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of  railway  axle & wheel (2%).

FINAL INDEX FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH, 2016 (BASE YEAR: 2004-05=100)

 For the month of March, 2016, the final Wholesale Price Index for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2004-05=100) stood at 175.3 as compared to 174.6 (provisional) and annual rate of inflation based on final index stood at -0.45 percent as compared to -0.85 percent (provisional) respectively as reported on 14.04.2016.

Next date of press release: 14/07/2016 for the month of June, 2016

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) 

 MJPS/nb