Inflation eases to 9-month low of 4.68% in February

Inflation fell to nine-month low of 4.68 % in February due to easing prices of kitchen staples like onion and potato, creating some headroom for RBI to cut interest rate in its forthcoming monetary policy.

The food inflation, based on Wholesale Price Index (WPI), dropped to 8.12 per cent in February, compared to 8.8 % in the previous month as the rate of price rise slowed in almost all items, except fruits and milk.

Inflation, which is on decline since December, was 5.05 per cent in January. Prior to February, the lowest WPI was recorded in May 2013 at 4.58%. In June, it had inched up again to 5.16 %.
As per the data released today, rate of price rise for onions - on annual basis - contracted 20.06 per cent in February. Similarly rate of price rise in potato slowed to 8.36%.

The overall inflation in the vegetable basket dropped to 3.99%, from 16.6 % in January. There was also a drop in prices of pulses, cereals and wheat.

However, fruits, milk and other protein-rich items like egg, fish and meat became costlier in February compared to the previous month. Inflation in fruits was 9.92 per cent as against 5.32 per cent in January and in milk it was 8.45 per cent compared to 7.22%.

Inflation in the manufactured items, like sugar and edible items, was 2.76 same as in January.

Meanwhile, December inflation has been revised upwards to 6.4%, from 6.16% estimated earlier.

The Reserve Bank of India, which has maintained a hawkish interest rate regime to tame inflation, is scheduled to announce the next monetary policy on April 1. Industry has been demanding a cut in interest rates to boost economic growth, which has slowed to a decade-low level.

The retail inflation, based on Consumer Price Index and also factored in by RBI, fell to a 25-month low of 8.1% in February.