India's Inflation at two-year low of 7.47pc in Dec

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Headline inflation fell to a two-year low of 7.47 per cent in December 2011 on cheaper food items, a factor which may prompt the country's central bank RBI to cut policy rates in the upcoming review. Headline inflation, as measured by Wholesale Price Index (WPI), had stood at 9.11 per cent in November. It was 9.45 per cent in the same month of 2010. The latest numbers are the lowest since December 2009 when headline inflation was at 7.15 per cent. As per the official data released today, vegetables were cheaper by 34.18 per cent and wheat by 3.81 per cent on an annual basis. Potato and onion prices also fell by 35.45 per cent and 60.45 per cent year-on-year during December. Prices of food items rose at a lower rate of 0.74 per in December, compared to 8.54 per cent expansion in the previous month. Food articles have a 14.3 per cent share in the WPI basket and experts attributed the moderation in inflation to cheaper food articles. Inflation in overall primary articles stood at 3.07 per cent in December, compared to 8.53 per cent in November. Non-food primary articles, which include fibres and oil seeds also showed moderation by registering an inflation of 1.48 per cent in December, compared to 3.22 per cent rise in the previous month. However, inflationary pressure continued in manufactured items, which which have a weight of around 65 per cent in the WPI basket. Prices of manufactured products, went up by 7.41 per cent year-on-year in December, as against 7.70 per cent in the previous month. Among manufactured items, iron and semis grew dearer by 24.44 per cent and edible oil prices rose by 11.52 per cent. The cost of tobacco products moved up by 13.18 per cent and basic metals became 12.96 expensive year-on-year. Inflation in the fuel and power segment stood at 14.91 per cent on an annual basis in December, against 15.48 per cent in the previous month. Meanwhile, inflation for October 2011 has been revised upwards marginally to 9.87 per cent from provisional estimate of 9.73 per cent. Experts said that the moderation in inflation will give more leeway to RBI to consider cuts in interest rates in the next few months. With headline inflation above the 8 per cent mark since January 2010, the apex bank has hiked key policy rates 13 times since March 2010, to tame inflation. India Inc has said the string of rate hikes, which have raised the cost of borrowing, have acted as a dampener to fresh investment and hindered growth. PTI