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India’s February WPI inflation jumps to 27-month high at 4.17% on costlier food, fuel

The WPI inflation rose for the second consecutive month in February to 4.17 per cent from a rise of 2.03 per cent in January.

India’s February WPI inflation jumps to 27-month high at 4.17% on costlier food, fuel

In vegetables, the rate of price rise was (-) 2.90 per cent in February, against (-) 20.82 per cent in January. (Photo: AFP)

India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for February 2021 jumped to its highest in more than two years as food, fuel and power prices rose, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed on Monday.

The WPI inflation rose for the second consecutive month in February to 4.17 per cent from a rise of 2.03 per cent in January.

The WPI inflation was 2.26 per cent in February last year.

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“The rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at (4.17 per cent) (provisional) for the month of February, 2021 (over February, 2020, as compared to 2.26 per cent) during the corresponding month of the previous year,” a Ministry of Commerce and Industry statement on WPI said.

After witnessing months of softening of prices, the food articles in February saw 1.36 per cent inflation, while it was (-) 2.80 per cent in the month of January.

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

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

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 per cent in February, data released last week showed.

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