Breaking the deflationary trend, the wholesale price index (WPI) saw a moderate increase.
Dearer food items like pulses, potato and sugar pushed up WPI inflation for April into the positive zone for the first time in 18 months to 0.34 per cent even as the industry sharpened its pitch for a rate cut, saying the price rise is within the targeted level.
Breaking the deflationary trend, the wholesale price index (WPI) saw a moderate increase as prices of some items, especially minerals and fuels, declined, showed data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Prices of some of the kitchen staples stayed sticky, which include pulses (36.36%), potato (35.45%) and sugar (16.07%).
On the other hand, mineral prices in April shrank by 27.24%, followed by onion (-18.18%) and fuel and power (-4.83%).
Reacting to the numbers, Ficci President Harshavardhan Neotia remained hopeful that RBI, which is keeping a close watch on inflation, would come out with an accommodative monetary policy on June 7.
"It will be critical... that the momentum on reforms is maintained. Also, while RBI has been keeping a close watch on the ground situation, we hope to see a more accommodative stance in the June policy announcement," Neotia said.
WPI inflation stood at (-)0.85% in March and (-)2.43% in April of the previous year.
Food inflation read 4.23% in April this year compared with 3.73% in March. Inflation in vegetables came in at 2.21% compared with (-)2.26% while the same in pulses was high at 36.36% as against 34.45% in March.
Other daily consumables such as fruits saw further easing of prices in April at (-)2.38%. Among others, petrol prices fell 4.18% whereas LPG was down 1.84%.
But for manufactured products, prices stayed at an elevated level, up 0.71% in April.
The government also revised upwards the WPI-based inflation for February at (-)0.85% as against (-)0.91% earlier.
"Inflation at the wholesale level printing at a positive number almost rules out chances of monetary easing in the near term, especially after retail inflation registered a higher-than-expected level last week," said Richa Gupta, Senior Economist, Deloitte India.
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