Retail inflation eases marginally to 9.86% in July

Retail inflation declined marginally to 9.86 per cent in July due to lower prices of spices, cereals and its products although prices of vegetables remained high during the month.

Based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the inflation for June was revised downwards to 9.93 per cent from the provisional estimate of 10.02 per cent, as per the government data release here on Tuesday.

Vegetable prices recorded the maximum spurt, up 27.33 per cent, followed by edible oils - 17.37 per cent and pulses and its products - 12.49 per cent in July, year-on-year basis.

Prices of egg, fish and meat shot up 11.11 per cent, while non-alcoholic beverages became costlier 9.26 per cent. Among other items, prices of cereal and its products saw a rise of 6.45 per cent over the July 2011 level.

While sugar saw a rise of 9.06 per cent in July, prices of food and beverages, clothing, bedding and footwear segments remained in the double-digit.

Inflation rates for rural and urban areas were 9.76 per cent and 10.10 per cent in July.

According to the revised data, the inflation rates for rural and urban areas were 9.65 per cent and 10.44 per cent in June.

The All-India CPI is in addition to the three retail price indices -- for agricultural labourers, rural labourers and industrial workers --  prepared by the Ministry of Labour.

The headline Inflation as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) had also declined to 6.87 per cent in July as the rate of price rise of the food articles category eased a little, although pressure remained on potato, pulses and rice as well as manufactured items.

The WPI inflation was 7.25 per cent in June.