The official wholesale price index for primary articles (base 2004-05 = 100) for the month of April 2013 rose by two per cent to 228.0 (provisional) from 223.6 (provisional) for the previous month. The groups and items which showed variations during the month are as follows:
The index for food articles rose by 2.6 per cent to 219.8 (provisional) from 214.3 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher prices of fruit and vegetables (11 per cent), masur (four per cent) and fish-marine, condiments and spices, urad and tea (one per centeach). However, the prices of poultry chicken (seven per cent) and barley, jowar, ragi, wheat, gram and egg (one per cent each) declined.
The index for non-food articles rose by 1.4 per cent to 209.7 (provisional) from 206.9 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher prices of soyabean (eight per cent) and groundnut seed (five per cent each). However, the prices of mustard seed (one per cent) declined.
The index for food products rose by 0.5 per cent to 165.8 (provisional) from 164.9 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher prices of processed prawn (six per cent), tea leaf (unblended) (five per cent), oil cakes, gur and tea dust (unblended) (three per cent each), mixed spices (two per cent) and groundnut oil (one per cent). However, the prices of coffee powder, maida, khandsari, soybean oil, canned fish and mustard and rapeseed oil (one oer cent each) declined.
The index for beverages, tobacco and tobacco products group rose by 1.7 per cent to 181.2 (provisional) from 178.1 (provisional) for the previous month.
