Food prices scale high at 15.58%

Nov. 26: Food prices kept their upward trend hitting the common man hard. Food inflation rose to 15.58 per cent for the second week of November with potato prices rising by 111 per cent.
As compared to last year the prices of pulses were up by 35.60 per cent, wheat by 12.53 per cent, cereals by 13.04 per cent and rice by 11.89 per cent. Also prices of vegetables moved up by 11.96 per cent, onions by 27.33 per cent, fruits by 10.97 per cent and milk by 11.36 per cent. On a weekly basis, products which saw a rise in their prices are urad and poultry chicken(15 per cent each), eggs (eight per cent), moong (six per cent), arhar (five per cent), fruits and vegetables (three per cent) and milk and wheat (one per cent each). However, the prices of barley (two per cent) declined.
The increase in food prices is due to shortages caused partly by a weak monsoon and partly by floods in some parts of the country.
“In a country where even a simple vegetable like potato has become so expensive, how can one expect to have three meals a day. Survival has become really tough. How frugal can one become,” said Mr Neeraj Trehan, working in a private firm.
“One has to think twice even for grocery shopping. Everything has become out of reach. Be it milk, vegetables or pulses. And worst, public transport has also gone so expensive,” said Ms Mridula Mathur, a housewife.
The inflation for all commodities more than doubled to 1.34 per cent for the month of October from 0.50 per cent in September due to costlier minerals and fuels, as per the data released earlier.
The Union finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, said on Thursday that the government is deeply concerned about rising prices and will take all fiscal and monetary measures to contain it.