Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | India Food Prices May Ease by Dilipp S Nag and Arpan Mukherjee

India Food Prices May Ease by Dilipp S Nag and Arpan Mukherjee

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Feb 3, 2011   modified Modified on Feb 3, 2011

India's food prices are likely to ease, bringing down food inflation from stubbornly high levels, over the next two months as supplies of onions and other vegetables are expected to pick up, industry officials said Thursday.

The country's food inflation rate surged to more than 18% in December as vegetable prices, particularly those of onions, spiked after unseasonal rain damaged crops. India's food inflation rate has slightly eased since then, but it accelerated to 17.05% year-on-year for the week ended Jan. 21, up from 15.57% a week earlier.

"Food inflation will tend to come down because, from February onwards, we normally have the crops of fruits and vegetables coming in," said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings.

The arrivals of the winter-sown crop will start from March, which will also help cool food prices, he added.

"By March [end], we will still have the double-digit food inflation number, but it could be in the region of 10%," Mr. Sabnavis said.

Overall inflation could be going towards India's central bank's target of 7%, he added.

The supply of onions, a key staple in Indian cuisine, has increased in the last few days due to the arrivals of late-sown varieties in Gujarat and Maharashtra, bringing down prices, said Ashok Walunj, director of the onion and potato section of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee in Navi Mumbai, a major trading hub for farm commodities.

Onion prices at the retail level have dropped to about 25 rupees ($0.6) a kilogram after touching a high of 80 rupees/kg in January.

A government official said about 150,000-200,000 kgs of onions are arriving daily at the rural markets in the western state of Gujarat, while demand is about 50,000 kgs.

Late rains in the onion-growing regions damaged a part of the crop, triggering a sharp spike in prices late December. The government scrapped an import tax on onions and asked state-run agencies to import onions besides directing state-backed cooperatives to sell the vegetable at subsidized prices.

Retail prices of other vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes and cauliflower have fallen between 25% and 50% from a week earlier.

The fall in vegetable prices could provide some relief to the government, which has been battling to cool the high food prices and a political storm.

"With the arrival of new crops such as rapeseed, chickpea and wheat from the next month, there would definitely be pressure on prices," said Harish Galipelli, head of research at brokerage JRG Wealth Management.

Still, the fall in prices may be temporary as the supply of vegetables and fruits may again come under pressure from April onwards. Peak production usually happens in winter and output during the summer months is far smaller.

While higher prices may lead to an increase in plantings, much still depends on the next monsoon rains. India received above normal rainfall last year, which helped crop sowing, but late rains hit vegetables and fruit production.

The Wall Street Journal, 3 February, 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104576121500796190510.html?mod=googlenews_wsj


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close