Costlier 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 per cent), potato (35.45 per cent) and sugar (16.07 per cent).
On the other hand, mineral prices in April shrank by 27.24 per cent, followed by onion (-18.18 per cent) and fuel and power (-4.83 per cent).
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 per cent in March and (-)2.43 per cent in April of the previous year.
Food inflation read 4.23 per cent in April this year compared with 3.73 per cent in March. Inflation in vegetables came in at 2.21 per cent compared with (-)2.26 per cent while the same in pulses was high at 36.36 per cent as against 34.45 per cent in March.