April wholesale prices drop 2.65 pct

"The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at -2.65% (provisional) for the month of April, 2015 (over April, 2014) as compared to -2.33% (provisional) for the previous month and 5.55% during the corresponding month of the previous year. Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was -0.06% compared to a build up rate of 0.28% in the corresponding period of the previous year," read the statement.

"The index for 'Food Articles' group rose by 1.3 percent to 252.7 (provisional) from 249.4 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of fruits & vegetables, gram and tea (4% each), poultry chicken and urad (3% each), arhar, ragi and fish-marine (2% each) and bajra and jowar (1% each).  However, the price of barley (5%), egg, mutton and beef & buffalo meat (3% each) and pork, masur, coffee and maize (1% each) declined," it said.

"The index for 'Non-Food Articles' group rose by 0.6 percent to 203.5 (provisional) from 202.2 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of guar seed and raw cotton (7% each), groundnut seed (5%), cotton seed, safflower (kardi seed)   and niger seed (4% each), raw silk (3%), mesta and soyabean (2% each) and castor seed, coir fibre and rape & mustard seed   (1% each).  However, the price of flowers (15%), gingelly seed (7%), raw rubber (5%), fodder (3%) and linseed and copra (coconut) (1% each) declined," read he statement.