Food inflation rises to 17.40%

Food inflation inched up to 17.40 per cent for the week ended January 16 on account of high prices of potato and pulses.

The wholesale price-based food inflation was 16.81 per cent in the previous week. Potato prices rose as much as 57.56 per cent over the last year, followed by prices of pulses which jumped by 46.87 per cent.

The inflation for primary articles, which include food and non-food items, stood at 14.66 per cent in the reporting week.

On weekly basis, the price index for food articles rose by 0.4 per cent on account of higher prices of egg (6 per cent) and fruit and vegetables (1 per cent).