-Live Mint The absence of genuine competition at mandis and numerous transaction charges are distorting onion prices The joke doing the rounds today is that the spike in onion prices has been a great equalizer, bringing parity between the price of a bottle of beer and a kilo of onion. The humble vegetable has also found pride of place as a gift item to customers at a tyre shop in Jamshedpur,...

-PTI Pinning hopes on rupee stabilisation and the impact of a good monsoon in the coming days, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia today said he expected inflation to hover around 5 and 6 per cent by the year-end. "With currency appearing to stabilise, I don't expect this (effect on inflation) to continue. I think if we can get moderation on the food front once the impact of a good monsoon...

-PTI NEW DELHI: Rising prices of onions and other vegetables pushed inflation to a five-month high of 5.79 per cent in July even as the government and RBI battled to stabilise the rupee. Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was at 4.86 per cent in June. In July 2012, it was 7.52 per cent. The July number is above the Reserve Bank's comfort level of 4-5 per cent inflation. This is...

The declining trend in food price inflation globally may not hold true for inflationary trends faced domestically due to a weakening Indian Rupee vis-a-vis the US Dollar. The recently released FAO Food Price Index (nominal) has shown a declining trend in July for the third consecutive month owing to lower international prices for grains, soy & palm oil, meat, dairy and sugar. (See links below) Based on FAO Food Price...

-PTI MUMBAI: The recent five per cent hike in the MSP against 15 per cent average hike in support price for farm produce in the last six years is likely to have only a nominal impact on food inflation Japanese brokerage firm Nomura said in its research report. Government last week raised the MSP of nine farm items, including some pulses and oilseeds, in the range of Rs 60-450 per quintal for...