Friday, July 29 2005 13:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: An all round rise in the prices of primary fuels and manufactured products pushed inflation up to 4.18 per cent in the week ended July 16, indicating the increasing impact of last month's hike in petrol and diesel prices.

The point-to-point Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation rose by 0.04 per cent from the previous week's 4.14 per cent, even as vegetable prices shot up 10 per cent and fruits by two per cent.

However, the latest inflation was substantially lower than 7.61 per cent a year-ago period.

WPI rose by 0.3 per cent to 194.4 points with increase in the indices of all the major commodity groups and the index was 186.6 points a year ago.

Sticking to its earlier projection of 5-5.5 per cent inflation for 2005-06, RBI, in its first quarterly review, had said the current price level remained moderate at wholesale and retail level, but held that the pass-through of oil prices was not yet complete.

During the week in review, world oil prices were above $58 a barrel as Hurricane Emily criss-crossed the southern Gulf of Mexico, partly shutting coastal Venezuelan drilling facilities.

The final inflation and WPI during the week ended May 21 stood unchanged at their respective provisional levels of 5.38 per cent and 192 points.

Primary Articles's group index rose by 0.9 per cent to 192.1 points due to increase in prices of both food and non-food articles and the index was 189.5 points a year ago.

The index for Food Articles' group shot up by 1.1 per cent to 194.5 points owing to sharp increase in prices of vegetables (10 per cent), masur (five per cent), gram, jowar, maize and fruits (two per cent each) and eggs and barley (one per cent each).

However, prices fell for poultry chicken (six per cent), fish-marine (four per cent), condiments and spices (two per cent) and moong (one per cent).

Non-Food Articles' group index was up by 0.4 per cent to 181.4 points due to higher prices of fodder (10 per cent), gingelly seed (five per cent), raw rubber and raw silk (four per cent each), niger seed (three per cent) and raw cotton (one per cent).

But prices declined for raw jute (five per cent), linseed (four per cent) and raw tobacco and skins (one per cent each).

Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants group index was up by 0.1 per cent to 304.2 points as prices of furnace oil increased by two per cent and naphtha by one per cent. The index was 274.7 points in the year-ago period.

The heavy-weighted Manufactured Products' group index rose by 0.1 per cent to 170.7 points due to costlier food products and basic metals. The index was 165.9 points a year ago.