1983

India's food inflation rises to 19.83 pc

New Delhi: India's annual food inflation based on wholesale prices rose to 19.83 per cent for the week ended on October 19 from 18.65 per cent the week before as prices of essential commodities continued to rule high. As per official data on the wholesale price index released on Thursday, the annual inflation of primary articles rose 15.49 during the week, as against 14.66 per cent for the previous week, while that of fuel rose 4.45 from 3.95 per cent the week before. Following are the average rise in prices of some essential food items over a 52-week period: * Potatoes: 132.74 per cent * Vegetables: 46.70 per cent * Pulses: 41.69 per cent * Onions: 40.75 per cent * Milk: 13.61 per cent * Wheat: 12.66 per cent * Cereals: 13.81 per cent * Rice: 12.95 per cent * Fruits: 10.35 per cent Grocery bills continued to remain high as the worst monsoon in nearly four decades and unexpected floods in some parts of the country pushed up food prices. Last week, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said it was a major challenge for the government to check inflation in the short-to-medium term. According to Mukherjee, to achieve equitable growth, farm output would have to expand at four percent yearly. Agriculture sector grew 2.5 per cent in the first quarter of this fiscal and one percent in the second quarter. Opposition parties had stalled parliamentary proceedings over spiraling food prices, resulting in the adjournment of the Lok Sabha for a day during the winter session this month.