With a sustained dip in food prices, India’s retail inflation hit a record low of 1.54 percent in June 2017, down from 2.18% in May and 5.77% in June last year. June’s retail inflation was lowest since the government began issuing data based on the consumer price index (CPI) in 2012. As per the data of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) (Rural, Urban, Combined) on Base 2012=100 for June 2017, stood at 1.59%, 1.41% and 1.54% respectively, compared to at 6.29%, 5.26% and 5.77% respectively in June 2016.
The data also showed that Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for all India Rural, Urban and Combined for June 2017 stood at (-) 1.61%, (-) 3.16% and (-) 2.12% respectively compared to 7.69%, 8.16% and 7.79% respectively in June 2016. The index value of CFPI for Rural was 133.7, for Urban 134.7 and for combined stood at 134.1 for the month of June.
As per the data, inflation in the food basket as a whole contracted further to 2.12% as compared to (-) 1.05% in May. Vegetables inflation declined to 16.53% and that of pulses and products to 21.92%. There was decline in rate of price in eggs to (-) 0.08%. On the other hand, the protein rich meat and fish turned costlier as the inflation spiked to 3.49% in June from 1.87% in May. The retail inflation in the fuel and light segment slowed to 4.54% as compared to 5.46% in May.