India's WPI inflation for apparel down 0.4% in September

India’s annual rate of inflation, based on monthly wholesale price index (WPI), stood at 5.13 per cent for the month of September 2018 over same month of last year. The index for apparel declined by 0.4 per cent to 138.6 in September, according to the provisional data released by the Office of the Economic Adviser, ministry of commerce and industry.

The official WPI for all commodities (Base: 2011-12 = 100) for the month of September 2018 rose by 0.7 per cent to 120.8 from the previous month’s level of 120.0, the data showed.

The index for manufactured products (weight 64.23 per cent) for September 2018 rose by 0.6 per cent to 118.5 from 117.8 for the previous month. The index for ‘Manufacture of Wearing Apparel’ sub-group declined by 0.4 per cent to 138.6 from 139.1 for the previous month due to lower price of knitted and crocheted apparel (1 per cent).

The index for ‘Manufacture of Textiles’ sub-group also rose by 1.1 per cent to 118.9 from 117.6 for the previous month due to higher price of synthetic yarn and woollen yarn (4 per cent each), texturised & twisted yarn, manufacture of other textiles and manufacture of made-up textile articles, except apparel (2 per cent each) and viscose yarn, manufacture of cordage, rope, twine & netting and cotton yarn (1 per cent each).  However, the price of knitted & crocheted fabrics (1 per cent) declined.

The index for primary articles (weight 22.62 per cent) rose by 0.2 per cent to 135.4 from 135.1 for the previous month. The index for fuel and power (weight 13.15 per cent) also rose by 2.2 per cent to 107.2 from 104.9 for the previous month due to higher price of lube oils, naphtha, HSD, petrol, LPG, furnace oil, bitumen, kerosene and ATF. However, the price of petroleum coke declined.

Meanwhile, the all-India consumer price index (CPI) on base 2012=100 stood at 3.77 (provisional) in September 2018 compared to 3.69 (final) in August, 2018 and 3.28 in September, 2017, according to the Central Statistics Office, ministry of statistics and programme implementation.