India achieved the distinction of being the second fastest growing economy amid the global recession in 2009, but the joy was marred by the decade’s sharpest rise in food prices to the chagrin of common man. For a country that continued to lose on its exports throughout the year that has gone by, economy achieved a remarkable growth of about 7% (during April- September 2009) on the back of focused government...
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Food inflation at 19.8% as pulses, potatoes jump
After easing a bit in the previous week, food inflation was back to near-20% levels in the third week of December as items such as potatoes and pulses continued to belie hopes of sustained relief over prices of essential commodities. The wholesale price-based index of food articles rose by 1.18% for the week ended December 19 from 18.65% a week ago. One week before that, food inflation had stood at...
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Every time inflation hits the headlines, the political blame game begins. This time too, as food prices soar, everyone in the ruling coalition and the government is passing the buck. It is possible that there is no one guilty party and a combination of factors, involving several actors, is responsible for the current price spiral. Of all the proximate factors, the most important appears to be expectations. Each time prices...
More »Food price index up 18.65 y/y on Dec 12: Government
Food price index rose 18.65 per cent in the 12 months to Dec 12, while the fuel index was up 3.95 per cent, the government said on Thursday. The worst monsoon in nearly four decades and flooding in some parts of the country have pushed up food prices. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said checking inflation is a major challenge for the government in the short-to-medium term. Annual wholesale...
More »Price-busters on way
The government is planning to augment the supplies of essential items through imports to rein in food inflation which has flared up to a decade high of 19.95 per cent in the first week of this month. “Food prices are going up and this is an area of concern ... We have to take appropriate measures to see what best can be done by increasing the supply through imports,” finance minister...
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